Null and Void
by GuardianEnzo
Summary: In the sequel to "Abort, Retry, Fail", past, present and future come together as Enzo and Matrix share a frightening vision.
1. Chapter I

NULL AND VOID

PROLOGUE

_It was hard for me to look at the diner, even now. Too much memory. System overload. Abort, Retry, Fail. I turned my head quickly and started walking towards Kits, eyes cast straight down._

_Every step felt like an inch, my feet were so heavy. I knew Bob would be waiting, and I didn't want to be late, but it was so hard, making that walk for what would be the last time - at least for a long while._

_How many times had I dreamed about this cycle - what it would mean to me? Sure, there were doubts, but it had always felt totally alphanumeric in my mind. It was supposed to be perfect - everything I'd dreamed about since I was a little sprite. I knew leaving Mainframe would be hard, but I'd be back. And it was what I'd always wanted._

_That was what I'd always thought, anyways. But now that it had all happened, it was totally basic. Low density. The Mainframe I was leaving wasn't the one I'd imagined leaving. I wasn't sure if I'd ever come back. If I ever _wanted_ to come back. Except for one reason. Except for Bob._

_I looked around me, at Baudway, back towards the Principal Office - the city was kinda quiet today. I knew that wherever I went, anywhere in the net, no place would ever be as beautiful to me as this. I could go to the Supercomputer itself, but Mainframe would always be home._

_But that wasn't really true, was it? Mainframe would always be home, in my mind - but not this Mainframe. The Mainframe I'd remember would be the other Mainframe - before everything had happened. I'd file and sort it, back it up in my memory. But it wouldn't be real. I couldn't ever go back to a place that didn't exist any more. Maybe we Matrixes were destined to wander around the net forever - maybe it was part of our code..._

_I was almost startled when I looked up and found myself outside our apartment in Kits. I'd made the walk so many times, I guess I could do it in my sleep - and I just about had. Bob was waiting for me. It was time._

_"Hey, Partner!" he grinned as I slowly walked through the door. "Where've you been? It's almost 1200, you know!"_

_"Sorry Bob!" I said sheepishly, forcing a smile to my face. "I was over at the diner. I guess I... I guess I had to have a - you know..."_

_"I understand." Bob smiled sympathetically. "Enzo, I know this is kind of rough for you - but you know it's for the best. It's what you've always wanted, and you deserve it-"_

_"Thanks." I nodded, even if I wasn't sure I agreed with him about the second part. "You've done a great job training me, Bob. There's no way I could ever go to the Academy if you hadn't helped me every nano along the way. There wouldn't even _be_ an Academy if it weren't for you, and Matrix, and AndrAIa. And..." Thinking about them brought even more pain. "Bob, I-"_

_"It was easy!" Bob grinned, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I guess there had been kind of a distance between us for a while, but it was forgotten now. It seemed unimportant. "By the User, Enzo - I can hardly believe it! You're nearly as tall as me, now. It seems like only a few nanos since the reboot, and now you're almost fully compiled. Where do the cycles go?"_

_It was strange hearing Bob talk this way - but then, everything seemed strange to me now. I blushed a little. "I'm still a little sprite and you know it. Those cadets at the academy are gonna tear me to data bits..."_

_"Spam!" Bob chuckled. "You're a Matrix - and we all know how tough Matrixes are."_

_"Yeah..." I whispered, all the memories flooding back to me. I could hardly believe that we'd ever fought, ever been mad at each other. It made me feel totally low-density. Bob and I were all we had, now. That thought made today seem even worse to me. I was shocked to feel a tear on my cheek._

_See, I hadn't cried in a while. Since - since the last time. I promised myself that I never would again - I wouldn't let anything hurt me that much, ever. Maybe that's why Bob and I hadn't talked much, for a while, even though we lived in the same apartment. It seemed easier. But now, it all came crashing down._

_"Come on, now." Bob said softly. "She'd be proud of you, you know. She _is_ proud of you. She-"_

_"It's not that!" I sobbed, ashamed of my crying but unable to stop. _

_"What is it?" Bob frowned._

_I shook my head angrily, trying to rattle the tears out. "I just keep thinking about you, and Mainframe... And about how - how lonely you - it'll be! Bob, I-"_

_"Crash that!" he smiled, tousling my hair like he used to when I was a little sprite. "I'm a Guardian, Enzo - and so are you. Defending Mainframe is a full time job. Besides, we'll be seeing plenty of each other. Don't you worry about me. Just go to the Academy and make me proud."_

_"Bob-"_

_"You've always made me proud - why should it be any different now?"_

_I stared at him for a nano, startled to realize that we _were_ almost eye to eye. How was that possible? "Thanks!" I whispered, sniffling. I tried to keep control of myself, but I couldn't. I guess I was still a little sprite, when everything was filed and sorted. I buried my face in his shoulder. "Bob... I - I..."_

_"I know." he said softly, patting my back. "I know, Enzo. Me too. Come on, now - you don't want to be late on your first cycle, do you? Did you get everything uploaded all right?"_

_"Yes." I whispered, lifting my head and forcing a smile. "All set."_

_"Need anything from your room?"_

_"No - I finished uploading my stuff last night." I sighed. I didn't want to see my room now - I didn't need any more memory downloads pushing me over the edge. More than anything, I wished a game cube would drop - just so I wouldn't have to go through with it. Anything to delay things. But the games never seemed to come when I wanted them to, and now was no exception. "Say good-bye to Phong for me, OK?"_

_"I will."_

_"Thanks..." I sighed, looking around the apartment one last time._

_"I guess that's it, then." Bob grinned, clapping me on the shoulder. "Just be yourself, Enzo, and everything will be fine. Remember everything I taught you. And make me proud."_

_"I will. I promise." I croaked, unable to muster my voice above a whisper. "Thanks - thanks for everything, Bob. I - thanks..."_

_"You're welcome." he said softly. He looked down at his wrist. "Copeland - portal!"_

_A shimmering sphere opened in the air in front of us, hovering in place. I took one last look at Bob, who smiled and nodded. "Stay frosty!" he mouthed. I nodded back, closed my eyes and stepped towards the portal._

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PART I

"Bogey! Eight o'clock!"

"I see him, Cap!" the diminutive fighter pilot grinned, banking his F-14 sharply to port and swooping low over the desert terrain. He pointed his nose directly at the oncoming MIEG and throttled up in a scream of jet fuel. The smaller jet banked upward, gaining altitude and disappearing into a bank of low clouds. "Cursors - lost him!"

"Stay on him, Cadet!" Bob spoke evenly into his mike, absently dusting off a stray MIEG that was attempting to outflank him. "I got you covered - he's all yours."

"I'm on it!" Enzo shouted excitedly, entering the layer of overcast and eyeing his radar screen. "It's pretty thick up here! I can't find him..."

Bob banked his own F-14 and followed the boy into the clouds, keeping a discreet distance between them. "Use your tracking, Enzo! Stay frosty!"

"I got him!" Enzo cried, as his radar locked onto the fleeing fighter. He tensed his finger on the trigger of his laser-guided missile, his hand barely large enough to manipulate the device. "Just a few more nanos..." At the last instant, the MIEG dove to port and disappeared off the youngster's targeting computer. "Delete it! He's gone! Where is he?"

"Find him!" Bob urged, moving his F-14 into position well behind the MIEG, which he'd never allowed out of his field of vision. "Just be patient - he's out there!"

The clouds gave way to a stunningly blue sky, the sun blazing directly overhead, and the three fighters now sped over a landscape of low dunes. In the distance, a complex of steel buildings was visible. "I can't, Bob!" I can't find him!" Enzo shouted. "I can't get a lock on him! I-"

"Use your radar, Enzo!" Bob urged. The MIEG swooped in from off of Enzo's starboard wing and slipped in behind his F-14. "Enzo! Stay sharp!" Bob engaged his targeting computer and followed the MIEG nervously.

"I'm trying!" Enzo's voice, sounding desperate, replied from his radio. "I can't find him!" The boy's fighter darted quickly back and forth as he tried to get a fix on the MIEG. The smaller plane matched maneuvers with the F-14, slowly settling into firing range. With a sigh, Bob locked on his targeting computer and began to squeeze the trigger.

Suddenly, Enzo's plane rolled wildly to port and towards the ground as Bob watched, mouth agape. Then the F-14 straightened and took off straight towards the sun, disappearing from view. The MIEG hesitated, looping slowly in pursuit, then back to it's original course. Enzo's F-14 reappeared, glinting in the bright sunshine, almost directly on top of the MIEG.

The boy banked downwards, towards the smaller fighter. "Be seeing you!" a high-pitched voice crackled from the speaker of Bob's headset. With a plume of flame, a missile disengaged from the wing of the boy's F-14 and the plane rolled off to starboard. In a few nanos, the MIEG was reduced to a spectacular cacophony of twisted metal and orange fire.

"Yeee-HA!" Enzo screamed into his radio. "Didya see that, Bob? Didya see it?"

"What're you trying to do - make me deaf, Cadet?!" Bob chuckled ruefully.

"Sorry, Bob!" Enzo answered sheepishly, his grin bursting through his helmet. "Man - what a rush!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Bob said sardonically. "Now, if it's not too much trouble... That's the weapons factory up ahead, eighteen degrees port. Would you care to do the honors?"

"Roger, Cap!" Enzo rolled his F-14 to port and locked his targeting computer on the central reactor housing. "It's a lot easier when the target isn't moving..."

"Very insightful. Watch out for flak!"

"Target locked..." Enzo breathed, tensing his finger. "Fire!"

_GAME OVER_

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_ _

"Thank goodness!" Dot sighed.

"You worry too much, Dot." AndrAIa said confidently. "Bob can handle things just fine. He wouldn't let anything happen to Enzo."

"How do you do it, AndrAIa?' Dot sighed with a hint of bitterness. "How do you keep from going crazy, with all the stuff you've been through? Don't you _ever_ worry about anything?"

"Sometimes I get a very bad feeling about things..." AndrAIa replied a little defensively. "I guess when you've spent almost your entire life in games, you tend to look at things from a strategic point of view. And you don't waste too much time trying to figure out why sprites act the way they do - they just _do_."

"Do what? And who are _they_?" Matrix asked, walking into the archives, grinning slightly. "My ears are burning..."

"Why, nothing to do with _you_, Sparky!" AndrAIa giggled, as they kissed briefly.

"How did the backup go?" Dot asked, as ever charmed by - and a little envious of - the easy familiarity AndrAIa and Matrix shared.

"Alphanumeric. Phong says all the utilities are functioning properly. We're totally on-line. Get the survey finished?"

"That's good to hear." Dot answered. "Bob and Enzo had to go into a game cube so we're running a little behind schedule, but we've seen enough to know we lost a lot of valuable data. I guess it's not too great a price to pay, but the archives aren't what they were before. It's going to be a slow rebuilding process."

"Doesn't sound like anything you can't handle." Matrix nodded. "I know my sister well enough to know that. What-"

"Matrix!" Enzo shouted, bursting into the archives as the bearded sprite spun reflexively. The boy launched himself at his elder at full speed. "OOF!" he grunted, bouncing off of the young man's chest and landing on his ASCII. AndrAIa stifled a giggle.

"You were going to say something?" Matrix asked with an arched eyebrow as the boy glared up at him. The big sprite couldn't resist a smile. He easily hoisted the youngster in a burly arm. "Hup you go! What's processing?"

"Matrix - it was totally cool!" Enzo gushed, his momentary indignity forgotten. "It was a desert fighter game, Dude - MIEGS and F-14s! You shoulda seen us, we were great! And I shot down the last fighter and blew up the weapons factory - it was totally alphanumeric! You shoulda been there!"

"I've seen that one." Matrix nodded. "I figured out that the MIEGS can't track you if you fly into the sun - gets 'em every time."

"Dude - that's what _I_ did!" Enzo laughed. "That's totally cool!"

"Like minds think alike." Bob said, strolling into the archives. "How are things going here?"

"As well as can be expected." Dot answered. "We've lost a lot of data, but we'll get by. How was the game?"

"Didn't Enzo tell you?" Bob grinned. "No worries, Dot. The Guardians are on the job."

"Dude - it was awesome!" Enzo enthused. "Games are totally so much fun, Bob! D'you think the next one'll be a flying game, too? Those are totally cool!" Matrix, Enzo still perched on his arm, frowned.

"No way to tell, Enzo. We take what comes. It's out of our control."

"Now that Bob's back, he and I can finish the survey here." Dot smiled. "Why don't you two go access a bite and get some rest?"

"Sounds like a plan." AndrAIa answered. "Stay frosty, gang." Matrix set Enzo down and followed her towards the door.

"Can I come too?" Enzo asked Dot pleadingly. "I wanna tell Matrix and AndrAIa about the game! Can I?"

Dot looked questioningly at AndrAIa, who looked in turn at Matrix. "Sure, no problem. We can take Enzo to a quicktime movie afterwards. You two can have the evening to yourselves." AndrAIa arched an eyebrow in surprise.

"Cool!"

"Thanks." Dot smiled. "I guess we'll see you later, then. Have fun!"

"Frisket!" Enzo exclaimed as the feral dog launched himself at him, barking and licking his face. "Ha ha! Where ya been, Boy? Wanna go to the diner and get some grub? C'mon Boy!"

"Not too late! School night!" Dot shouted after the departing quartet.

"Awww..." came the faint reply.

"Not to worry - we'll have him home early!" AndrAIa called, laughing.

"Still got a lot of work to do..." Bob sighed, looking around at the cluttered archives. "Better get started."

"Work , work, work! Too much work makes Bob a dull Guardian!" Dot grinned, wrapping her arms around his neck and accessing a lengthy smooch. "That wasn't too much work, was it?"

"N-no. Easy as falling of an analog." 

"I love your hair this way, Bob." Dot said softly, nuzzling his neck. "I can actually feel you under there, now..."

"Whatever makes you happy." Bob smiled. "You don't think about haircuts out there on the web, I guess."

"Don't talk about that. Talk about anything else. How was the game? Enzo did all right?"

"Enzo did fine." Bob said. "He's still a little green - no offense! He makes a lot of mistakes, and he panics too fast. But he'll learn. The main thing is that he never gives up - he's got a lot of spirit. And besides, I wasn't even _playing_ games when I was his age..."

"Maybe there's a reason for that." Dot frowned.

"Dot-"

"No, you're right, never mind. Shut up, Dot!" the Command.Com. smiled ruefully. "So it was what - a flying aces type of thing? Jet fighters?"

"Pretty much. Desert Storm, you know - knock out the enemy fighters and take out the weapons plant. Pretty routine."

"So - Enzo was in a plane by himself, then? Isn't that kind of dangerous? How can you keep an eye on him if-"

"Don't worry! I kept him on a pretty tight leash. He was never out of my sight. And he did take out the User's MIEG on his own, you know. It got a little hairy when it got a target lock on him, but-"

"Target lock?! On Enzo? Bob, how could you let that happen? What if-"

"Dot! I _told_ you - he was never out of my sight. I was ready to take out the User myself, but I wasn't gonna tell Enzo that. How's he ever going to get better if I don't let him try to get through these things on his own? That doesn't mean I'm going to put him at risk!"

"You're right, you're right!" Dot sighed. "Maybe it would be a good idea if - if we agreed to just not talk about the games at all. It'd drive me offline, but I think it might be better..."

"Enzo - not talk about games? I don't think so!" Bob chuckled. He kissed Dot gently on the forehead and surveyed the room. "These files aren't going to review themselves... I suppose we'd better get started."

"Hmmnm. But we've got the whole place to ourselves... There's plenty of time to finish the file sort, isn't there?"

"What did you have in mind?" Bob smiled.

"Try me! I'm open to suggestions..."

_"I'm going towards the stone cairn now... I can't see anything, it's very dark. Bring the camera in closer." Mike intoned. "Is this it - could this be the lair of the legendary 'Nair Witch' - the beast who shaved the legs of innocent children from this village all those minutes ago? Move in closer, I - OMIGOSH What in the net? I - She! AUUUGGGHHH_!"

"This movie is terrible!" Matrix growled, shaking his head. "It looks like something a bunch of drones threw together!"

"Looks like Enzo agrees with you!" AndrAIa giggled. The boy, positioned between them, was peacefully reclining, his head on her shoulder. "Must be a Matrix thing."

"Shhh!" a zero binome reprimanded from the row behind them.

"Sorry!" Matrix snarled, reflexively reaching for his absent gun. "Andri - let's get out of here! If I have to watch another nano of this..."

"Really! Save one city and you think it exempts you from good manners!" the zero binome tittered. He rose and moved to the opposite end of the theatre, leaving AndrAIa and the two Matrixes alone in their section.

"You're still processing - that says something about my manners!" the bearded sprite grumbled. "Whaddaya say, Andri?"

Enzo mumbled something unintelligible and burrowed his head deeper into AndrAIa's shoulder. "He looks so comfortable, Matrix." she smiled. "Let's just sit it out - let him sleep for a while."

"What're you - his mother?" Matrix whispered. "He looks a little _too_ comfortable to me..."

"Chill out, Sparky." she sighed. "I just don't want to wake him up - he's had a big cycle. Besides, we promised Bob and Dot a night to themselves."

"OK, OK..." Matrix answered, pointedly ignoring the action on the screen. He was silent for a moment. "Andri - what do you think about this business - about Enzo going into the games?"

"I think it's fine." she whispered. "Why - don't you?"

"Games are no place for a little sprite." the young man said softly. "I just don't - I don't like to see him getting his head full of ideas, that's all..."

"Is this Enzo Matrix I'm talking to? Have you totally forgotten what it was like for you then, after - after Bob - you know..."

"Yeah."

"You know what it was like, Lover. You know how much it meant to you. Have you forgotten?"

"Have _you_ forgotten? Have you forgotten what _happened?_ Doesn't that count for anything?"

"You can't make Enzo responsible for that. Things were different, circumstances were different. Bob is _here_, now. Doesn't that change things?"

Matrix crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "I just don't like seeing him get his head full of ideas, that's all. I don't like it. Daemon's still out there. I don't like it..."

"Well, when it's all filed and sorted it doesn't really matter what we think. It's Bob and Dot's decision to make - and Enzo's. Don't you think we should be supportive of whatever they decide?"

"Cursors, Andri - why do you have to be so deleted _reasonable_ all the time?" The bearded sprite waved a burly hand at the screen in disgust. "I've had enough - let's get out of here. We'll stop off at Al's for an energy shake, or something..."

"All right." AndrAIa sighed. Enzo was still snuggled against her, a blissful smile on his face. She tapped his nose lightly. "Come on, Guardian! Time to go!"

"No - it's OK." Matrix said softly. "C'mon, Sprout." With surprising gentleness, he hoisted the boy out of his chair and onto his shoulder, and started for the exit. Enzo stirred, but didn't wake. "Aren't you coming?"

"Sure." AndrAIa grinned.

"What?" Matrix challenged.

"Nothing - nothing at all." she chuckled. "Come on - let's go get that energy shake..."

_"Can I come too, Bob? Can I?" I begged. I couldn't bear the thought of any action going on that I wasn't a part of. They probably wouldn't have even let me into the command room if I hadn't made a total pest of myself._

"_I don't think so, Tiger." Bob smiled at me. "This sounds like it might get a little hairy. I don't want to take any chances. Stay here and look after Dot for me."_

_I knew Bob was trying to humor me in a nice way, but it still hurt. It was hard to be mad - it wasn't like Bob never let me have any fun, but whenever there was any real danger involved, he always thought I couldn't handle it. Or that I'd get in the way. And Dot certainly wasn't gonna argue with him._

_"But Bob..."I said softly, knowing it was futile. "I'm one-zero now - I'm not a little sprite! This sounds pretty important-"_

_"No, Enzo - not this time." he said firmly. I could almost see what I looked like to him - pouting like a little kid. I hated it, but I couldn't help it. _

_"Bob, do you think it's possible that - could this be..." Phong said hesitantly._

_"It's possible. We don't want to jump to any conclusions. Still, it doesn't hurt to be proactive." Bob answered grimly. As usual, it was like I was no longer in the room._

_"You're not going alone!" Dot protested. "If Phong's right, it could be almost anything - even web creatures! I'm coming with you!"_

_"I don't think so." Bob frowned. "If anything, it's more likely that they're testing our defenses - trying to be subtle. Or the whole thing could be a false alarm - we shouldn't go off-line because of a few reports of strange sprites. After last time, everybody's a little paranoid." _

_"You're not paranoid if everyone's out to get you." Matrix muttered. What a grouch._

_"I wish Mouse was here - I could use her expertise." Bob sighed._

_"Well, I'm going with you anyway." Dot said firmly. I was hoping_ _she would - Bob _had_ told me to look after her, hadn't he?_

_"It's not a good idea for a whole squadron of us to go out there." Bob said. "Better to keep this low-key, for now. It's probably nothing, and if it isn't we're better off not letting on we're even concerned. Besides, you're Command.Com - you know your place is here, in case you're needed. You can't try to put out every fire yourself."_

_"I suppose..." Dot sighed. Cursors!_

_I hated this - what was everybody talking about? What was this 'last time' Bob kept mentioning? "Hey! What's going on? Somebody tell me!_ _Bob? Dot?"_

_"Later, Enzo." Dot said, without looking at me. Like I wasn't even there. Then it hit me - could it be Daemon_?_ Was that what this was all about? I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen all the grown-ups looking so worried. All of a sudden, I was real scared for Bob._

_"Bob - you gotta let me go with you! We're partners, remember?" I begged. "Who's gonna watch your back?"_

_"I'll go." Matrix said softly. I turned to glare at him._

_"Enzo-"_

"_The kid's right, Bob - someone_ _has to watch your back. It could be dangerous out there. Who's gonna do it - him?"_

_"Hey!" I shouted. "_I'm _ the one who's been going into the games with Bob, not you, Null-breath_!_ Why don't you-"_

_"Easy, easy!" Bob interrupted, raising his hands. "That's enough of that, you two. Let's stay frosty here." He turned to me. "Enzo, Matrix is right. It's better if he goes with me, in case anything happens. He's got more experience with -with..."_

_"You think it's Daemon, don't you?"_ _I was really mad - how come Matrix could just waltz in and take my place like that? I was the one who'd been working with Bob, playing the games with him! Delete it, he and Matrix barely even_ __talked_ with each other anymore! "Just when things get serious, you don't wanna be partners any more? I can help, Bob - just give me a chance!"_

_Bob and Dot shared a look they thought I didn't see. They always thought I didn't, and I always did. They were surprised I'd figured out what was going on. "No one's taking your place, Enzo." Dot said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "You and Bob are still partners. He just needs someone with a little more experience this time, that's all. Right, Bob?"_

_"Right." Bob smiled. "Like I said, Enzo - this is probably nothing. Don't forget, we've got a study session later on game sprites and how we deal with them. I expect you to be ready." He turned to Matrix. "All set?"_

_"Let's do it." Matrix growled. Typical macho Matrix. The two of them zipped off, leaving the rest of us in the command room._

_It really hurt, knowing that when something serious happened Bob didn't really believe in me. I was the one who'd earned my place with him in a fight - not Matrix. What had he ever done, except glower around all the time? He hardly spent any time with Bob at all. It just wasn't right..._

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"Well, hullo there, Lovely!" Ray grinned. "What're you doin' home so early? No dire crisis at the Principal Office today?"

"Same old same old, Sugar." Mouse sighed. "Just doin' a little tune-up on Ship, been kinda neglectin' the old gal lately. Ain't had need to use her much. What've you been up to?"

"Finally got a chance to try out that circuit racing with Bob and the Matrix lad. An interesting little game - can't quite match the rush o' web surfing, though."

"Yeah, web surfing." the hacker mused. "Sounds like quite a thrill ride, Sweetie. I've been known to be a bit of a thrill seeker myself, ya know..."

"That's not hard to imagine." Ray chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist. "I'll show it all to you someday, Milove - I've got the whole web at my fingertips. There ain't a door anywhere that's closed to me and my board. Now _that's_ freedom."

"Freedom, huh? I been free for a long time, Surfr. Thought maybe I was gettin' a little sick of it, but now I'm not so sure."

"What's wrong?" Tracer frowned. "You're not yourself today. You an' Phong having problems with the system maintenance or somethin'?"

"No problems at all, Sugar. Smooth as a baby's butt. It's been quiet as a millpond around here."

"So - that's good, isn't it?"

"Yeah, that's good, Honey." she sighed. "Couldn't be better."

"And mark all the power down files 'read'. Bob and I logged and sorted them last cycle."

"Of course, Child."

Dot busily tapped away at her organizer for a nano. "That should about cover everything, Phong. It's a major loss, when you look at it all at once. There's a lot of valuable data we'll never get back."

"What you say is true, Young Dot." Phong nodded, bridging his fingers in front of him. "Still, we have gained far more than we lost - have we not?"

"More than I could have ever hoped for." Dot smiled, watching Enzo chasing Frisket through the halls of the Principal Office. She clasped Bob's hand in hers. "It's almost like we've all been given a new life - a chance to start over, to get it all right..."

"Indeed." Phong frowned. "We must make certain that we do not squander this gift. It is an opportunity we have been given, My Children - no more. What we do with that opportunity is up to us."

Dot found herself oddly unsettled by Phong's words. "Of course..."

"How are our virus check utilities?" Bob - ever practical - asked. "Do we have any idea which version survived the Reboot?"

Phong craned his neck and stared down at a display panel. "The news is not good, Young Guardian. Several upgrades were lost. We have some function, but I do not know if even our most advanced weapons would have proved useful against Daemon. As it is..."

The virus' name hung in the air for a long moment, throwing a pall over the three figures in the command room. "Well then, we'll just have to rely on the weapons we _do_ have." Bob frowned. "We've survived Megabyte, web creatures, a system crash - we'll survive this. _We're_ our best weapon - all of us."

Phong frowned, tapping his fingers on the console thoughtfully, as Dot cast a glance at Enzo. Neither shared their thoughts. "There _is_ one other possibility, Guardian - we have a possible resource at our disposal, although I would hesitate to call her an ally..."

"Hexadecimal." Bob sighed. "I know, Old Friend - that idea hasn't been lost on me. She knows the ways of viruses better than any of us. If she's willing to help us upgrade our defenses-"

"She can't be trusted!" Dot interjected. "Surely you both realize that! Bob, she and Megabyte sent you into - into..."

"I know." Bob smiled, squeezing her hand. "But is this really the same virus, Dot? She might still be unstable, but not as much as before. You don't know what those masks were like for her..."

"She's still a virus!"

"Is she, Child?" Phong mused. "I have spent many milliseconds pondering that question."

"And?" Bob asked expectantly.

"My answer is - I do not know!" Phong shrugged. "Would _you_ like to ask her? Certainly, after the reboot she was registered as a sprite, not a virus. How much of her viral ability survived the reboot is an open question. If she has any sense of honor, she certainly owes all of us a debt - particularly young Bob."

"Honor? Hexadecimal? I don't think we can assume that!" Dot protested.

"Agreed." Bob said. "The one thing I think we _can_ assume is that she's still chaotic - unpredictable."

"True, Young Guardian. There is little doubt of that."

"I think it would be in all of our best interests to pay Hex a visit - feel her out about helping us." Bob said thoughtfully. "Maybe we can even try to get some idea of what kind of powers she's retained..."

"That sounds awfully dangerous..." Dot began. Enzo flashed through the command room, laughing wildly. Frisket was hot on his heels. They disappeared just as quickly.

"If that energy could be tapped, Mainframe would have an inexhaustible source of power." Phong said dryly.

"As I was saying Phong - that sounds awfully dangerous! Hex has never taken kindly to unwanted guests..."

"That is true, Dot. However, it would be accurate to say that she has always had a certain..." the old sprite fidgeted awkwardly for a nano. "Fondness. Towards Bob. Perhaps if _he_ were to approach her-"

"I don't want you going anywhere near that virus!" Dot hissed. "I mean - we need you here, Bob! If anything were to happen-"

"Nothing will happen." Bob said calmly. "Phong's right - Hex likes me, in her own strange way. We could really use her help, and it makes sense for _me_ to ask for it."

"I don't suppose it'd do any good for me to try to talk you out of it, so I won't bother." Dot growled. "But you be careful! And don't go alone - take Hack and Slash with you. Hex shouldn't see them as much of a threat..."

"Oh, they'll _love_ that!" Bob chuckled. "If you say so, Dot. Ill pay her a visit tomorrow..."

"That is good, Guardian. That is good. If I may alt_tab to a slightly happier topic?" Phong asked. Bob and Dot looked at him expectantly. "In the course of surveying the archive reports, I decided to examine the file history on Young Enzo." The old sprite craned his neck, peering down the long corridor to where the boy and Frisket were wrestling playfully.

"And?" Dot asked.

"And - it appears based on the restore data that our young friend is due for an upgrade - in less than a minute, as a matter of fact. He will be turning one-zero. Again."

"Cool!" Bob grinned. "Another birthday party, huh Dot?"

"Not like the last one!" Dot sighed. "I haven't got the energy to go through that again. That's wonderful news, Phong. Does Enzo know?"

"If he does, he has not heard it from me, Child. I suspect that with all that has happened, he has no idea."

"Good. I'll throw him a nice little surprise party, at the diner. Just family and friends. He'll like that."

"You don't seem too happy about it, Dot." Bob frowned. "What's the matter?"

"I'm just not in that much of a hurry to see him grow up, that's all." she sighed. "I let too many cycles go by last time, and didn't appreciate them. I know better now. Every cycle that goes by is one you never get back. Once he turns one-zero, he'll never be zero-one again."

"That is the way of life, Young One." Phong smiled. "Every cycle is a gift. You are one of the lucky ones - you will appreciate them now in a way you never would have before, I think."

"You're right Phong. A gift." Dot sighed. "I wonder how long we'll be left alone to enjoy them..."

"I just don't like it, AndrAIa - Bob going off to see Hexadecimal? I don't want to depend on that _virus_ for help..."

"He's just doing what's best for Mainframe, Sparky." AndrAIa answered as the two sprites zipped through Baudway towards the diner. "Hex isn't our biggest worry right now - Daemon is. If she can help us in any way-"

"Mainframe doesn't need that kind of help!" Matrix snarled.

"I don't know, Lover - I don't think you should turn down _any_ help when it's offered. We wouldn't have survived the games and gotten home if we'd-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know I know! Tracer, Gavin, the Web Riders. But that's different, Andri - none of _them_ is a virus. You all may have forgotten what Hex did to me - did to Bob, mean. But I haven't! And I never will..."

"I'm sure you won't! But you know Bob - he's all about building alliances, teamwork. I wonder where he got _that_ from?"

"I wonder." Matrix frowned, as they pulled up outside the diner. "Wonder how Dot's holding up..."

"_Please_ , Bob! Please let me go with you to Lost Angles! You'll need backup, won't you? I'm been working real hard in the games - you know I have! I'm getting better, aren't I? Please??"

"_No_, Enzo - not this time." Bob sighed. "I don't want anyone else going near Hexadecimal until I'm sure she's stable. This isn't a game - it's serious. Compile up!"

"I _am_ compiling up! But you don't act like it!" Enzo scowled, crossing his arms defiantly.

"That's enough, Enzo!" Dot said wearily. "Bob has to concentrate. No means no."

She looked up as Matrix and AndrAIa entered the diner. "Wait at ze bar!" Cecil snapped briskly, whizzing by on his track.

"Don't worry, we're not staying!" AndrAIa laughed. "Still here, Bob? I thought you'd be in Lost Angles by now."

"I'm on my way." the Guardian smiled, absently patting the still pouting Enzo on the head. He wrapped an arm around Dot's waist and kissed her gently. "Don't worry - I'll be fine. Who knows - it might even be fun!"

"_That_ was the wrong thing to say..." AndrAIa whispered under her breath.

"I'm glad you can be so glib about it!" Dot frowned. "Just be careful - and don't forget to take Hack and Slash with you! Although what good they'd be against Hex is beyond me..."

"I'm picking them up at the Principal Office." Bob smiled, heading for the door. "They're really looking forward to it... Stay frosty!"

"You too." Dot whispered, watching him go. Of all the stubborn, null-headed...

"This is totally basic!" Enzo muttered, jumping onto a barstool and kicking the counter. "Bob zips off to Lost Angles with Dumb and Dumber, and I get to sit here twiddling my bitmap!" Dot cast a pleading look towards Matrix and AndrAIa. "How single-sided can you get? What kind of backup are those two-"

"Hi, Enzo!" AndrAIa smiled, hopping onto the adjacent stool. "What's processing?"

"Oh! Uh... Hi, AndrAIa!" the youngster blushed. Suddenly, he'd lost his train of processing. It seemed to happen whenever AndrAIa smiled at him. It was irritating and invigorating at the same time. "I, uh... uh..."

"Did you have fun at the movies the other night?" the game sprite asked. Matrix rolled his eyes.

"Uh, yeah! It was totally cool!" Enzo beamed at her, then looked down at his feet. "That is - yeah! Thanks..."

"You're welcome!" she laughed. "Matrix and I thought we'd go over to Floating Point Park, Dot. Why don't you two and Frisket come along?"

"Thanks, but no." Dot sighed wearily. "Gavin's coming over for a business meeting- you know how it is. Why don't you take Enzo along, though?"

"But Dot-"

"She's right, Enzo." Matrix interrupted, having heard the response they'd both been expecting. "You know how much work their business is. Go grab Frisket and let's get going."

"But-"

"What's the matter, Enzo?' AndrAIa asked, looking hurt. "Don't you want to spend time with us?"

"Uh... Sure!" Enzo stammered. There was that train of processing thing again... "Anytime, AndrAIa!"

"Well, let's go then!" she giggled, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and leading him towards the door with a wink to Dot. "So where's Frisket gotten off to..."

Matrix shook his head ruefully, watching them go. "Thanks." Dot said softly.

"Don't mention it." Matrix sighed, following them outside.

"I wonder what I shall do today..." the masked figure mused, twirling about in her chair. The light cast strange, angular shadows in the great hall, seemingly diffused and distorted by an unseen prism far above. A few nulls skittered and squeaked along the floorboards, intent on achieving some unknown destination.

"How frightfully boring, being sane." Hexadecimal sighed. "How decidedly predictable. All of my old friends have left me. I wonder if they're angry at me. Perhaps I shall make them some biscuits, and they'll come back. Come back and speak to me..."

A small, round figure floated into the parlor, a low purring sound escaping it's throat. "Scuzzy!" Hexadecimal grinned, in a flash of teeth. "How delightful to see you! Where have you been, naughty boy? Not out chasing a Mouse, I hope?" The virus laughed uproariously at her own joke. Her face smoothly shifted into a snarl. "I said - where have you been?!"

Quivering slightly, the cat leaned forward, and the vidscreen on top of its head flickered to life, showing three figures crossing a bridge, one on a zip board.

"Why did you say we were going to Lost Angles, Bob?" Hack asked.

"Yeah why?" Slash added. "Hack's afraid of Lost Angles!"

"You just cannot keep your input shut, can you?" Slash howled. "It's always Hack this, Hack that! Besides, _you're_ the one who's afraid!"

"No, you are afraid. You said so before. 'I am afraid' is what you said."

"You'll just never let me live that down, will you? I make one little-"

"That's enough, you two!" Bob snapped. "We've got work to do. You know why we're here. Try to keep your minds on the job at hand."

"Company!" Hexadecimal exclaimed. "How delightful! Thank you, Scuzzy - you may go." With a flick of her hand, she sent the little cat hurtling through the air and out of the grand parlor. "Let's see - what _shall_ I wear? I wonder if I have time to put my face on? But - it already _is_!" The virus laughed - a brittle, screeching cry. The nulls stopped in their slime trails, shivering, then scurried off.

"Have another memory wafer, Boys." AndrAIa offered. "I brought a whole box."

"Maybe later." Matrix yawned, stretching his arms behind his head and leaning against a tree. "Haven't been back here since I was a little sprite. Forgotten how nice it was..."

Enzo sat, chin on his knees, and absently help up a wafer for Frisket. "This is basic - there's nothing to do! I hope Bob's OK."

"Bob's fine - he can take care of himself." AndrAIa said confidently. "Besides, this is important, Enzo. We need to find out if Hex is on our side now."

"I don't like it! Bob shouldn't be going to see Hexadismal!" the boy scowled. "Mainframe doesn't need help from a _virus_!"

Matrix opened his eyes, shooting a surprised look at AndrAIa. "What'd you say, Sprout?"

"You heard me!" Enzo muttered. "And don't call me 'Sprout'!"

"Whatever you say, Kid!" Matrix chuckled. "Actually, that sounds like pretty good thinking to me."

"Don't encourage him!" AndrAIa sighed.

"Fine!" Both Enzos replied in unison.

"Two of them! One was bad enough... I'm gonna take Frisket for a walk around the park. You two low-densities want to come along?"

"Nah - gonna take a little nap." Matrix yawned. "Maybe later."

"Enzo?"

"Naw, I don't feel like it." Enzo sighed, not certain why he didn't want to go with her, but certain he didn't. "Thanks though."

"You sure?"

"Nah - I'm fine." Enzo smiled at her. "I'm just gonna hang for a while."

"OK..." AndrAIa relented, a little nervous at leaving the two Enzos alone together. "Try not to delete each other while I'm gone..."

Three figures slowly progressed down a long, serpentining corridor. A pale light, just enough to guide their steps, shone around them from an unseen source. Doors and windows appeared at in the walls, floor and even the ceiling, most of them leading nowhere.

"Why must you toy with my emotions like that?" Slash complained. "You know how I get when you talk about Hexadecimal."

"What else am I going to talk about in her lair?" Hack countered. 

"I dunno - talk about anything. Wasn't it a nice cycle today? You could talk about that. But no, it's always Hex this, Hex that-"

"You're the one who's always bringing her up - not me! I'm trying to concentrate on my job, and you-"

"No I'm not - you are! Hex this, Hex that-"

"There! You just did it again!"

"One little compliment a cycle, is that too much to ask? I polished my gears today, but did you notice? Not a word out of you. I don't know why I even bother-"

"Sometimes I think I don't even know you anymore-"

"Shut up, you two!" Bob hissed. "I'm trying to concentrate! I always get lost around here..."

"Sorry, Bob."

"Yeah, sorry. I am sorrier than Hack, though."

"No you're not! I'm even sorrier than you."

"Why cannot we both be sorry? Why must everything be a competition with you? Why-"

"Enough!" Bob snapped. "I'll give you _both_ something to be sorry about if you don't keep quiet. I don't want to be wandering these halls forever."

"That would be bad."

"_Very _bad."

"Not good..."

"I _know_ one of these doors opens onto the parlor - which one is it?" the Guardian sighed, exasperated. "She keeps changing things around."

"Perhaps she is not here."

"Yes, perhaps. Perhaps we should return to the diner."

"Zip out of here without seeing Hex and then have to face Dot afterwards? I don't think so!" Bob answered. "I think I'd rather face Hex, thanks a lot."

"Why Bob - I thought you'd never make it!" A voice called out. "Don't you know it's rude to keep your host waiting? They must not teach you manners out there on the web!"

"Wasn't there a wall there a nano ago?" Bob asked dubiously, staring at the parlor spread out before them. Hack and Slash began trembling uncontrollably.

The anachronistically simple chair in the center of the great hall spun, revealing a large, burgundy clad figure. The virus grinned toothily. "Well, isn't this lovely! You've come all this way - surely you're going to sit down and stay a while?"

"Don't do it." Matrix growled, deep in his throat. He didn't open his eyes.

"How'd you know I was back here?" Enzo demanded from the far side of the tree against which Matrix reclined.

"Because that's what I would have done if I was a bored little sprite. I'm sure leaping out from behind a tree and jumping on me _seemed_ like a good idea when you thought of it."

"I wasn't gonna do that..."

"Sure you weren't. Just remember one thing - I _don't like surprises_. Try to never forget that."

"Yeah, I'll remember." Enzo pouted. "D'you ever get tired of being such a null all the time?"

"Takes one to know one."

"I know you are, but what am I?" The bearded sprite still refused to open his eyes. Enzo kicked at the tree listlessly. Neither sprite said anything for a few nanos. Enzo leaned back against the tree and slowly slid down to the ground. "Matrix?"

The big sprite didn't reply. Enzo glared at him. After a nano, he crouched down behind the tree. He snaked out an arm, tugged lightly on Matrix's beard and withdrew it quickly. The young man remained silent.

Enzo frowned thoughtfully. He poked his head around the tree and studied the big sprite closely for a nano. Cautiously, he inched his arm towards Matrix' face, finally flicking him lightly on the nose. In a flash, the boy was back behind the tree. Still nothing.

Slowly, Enzo poked his head around the tree, watching Matrix' chest slowly rise and fall for a moment. Emboldened, he inched his body forward, leaning over the bearded sprite's shoulder. In a single blinding motion, the young man darted his arms out and somersaulted the boy, head over heels, over his shoulder. Enzo landed in his lap with a thud, letting out an enraged wail.

"What'd you do _that_ for?" the youngster howled, struggling in Matrix' vise-like grip.

"I told you - I don't like surprises!" the big sprite growled. "How do _you_ like 'em?" He began tickling the boy mercilessly under the chin, chuckling as he did.

"No fair!" Enzo screamed. "Stop it! Stop it!"

"Why - don't tell me you're ticklish there?" Matrix taunted.

"Stop!" Enzo begged, and the young man finally relented. "N-no fair!' Enzo panted. "You know everything about me - it's totally basic! What chance do I have?"

"None. And make sure you remember that!" Matrix grinned. Enzo fell back against his chest, exhausted. "I haven't had that much fun in seconds..."

"Yeah, it was a blast!" Enzo snarled, unable to resist the urge to grin after a nano. Who would have thought it - Matrix having fun? It hardly seemed possible.

"No hard feelings, Sprout?" Matrix chuckled, roughly tousling Enzo's hair through his cap.

"Naw - it's OK." Enzo answered. "And don't call me that! I'll get even, don't worry!"

"Everything OK here, Boys?" AndrAIa interrupted. She arched an eyebrow at the scene before her.

"Oh, Hi Andri, Hi Frisket. Didn't hear you come back. Yup, couldn't be better - alphanumeric." Matrix replied, Enzo still perched on his lap. "That was a short walk, wasn't it?"

"I thought I heard Enzo screaming." the game sprite answered dubiously. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine!" the boy smiled.

"What was all that screeching about?"

"We were just playing, that's all." the youngster replied. "Right Matrix?"

"Yeah, that's right Sprout. Playing."

AndrAIa's jaw dropped. "Playing? You were _playing_? If only Ray Tracer were here to see this!"

"Why does everyone assume I have no sense of humor?" Matrix snapped, his trademark scowl returning to it's accustomed perch. "I could run rings around that flashy show-off if I wanted to!"

"Yeah!" Enzo added. Both sprites stares defiantly up at AndrAIa.

"All right, you win!" she laughed, throwing up her hands. "You were playing. So it's safe for me to take Frisket for a run now? No file deletions? No noogies? No 'death blossom mode'?"

"Yeah, go nuts!" Matrix waved sarcastically. The game sprite shook her head, winked at Enzo and took off at a run, Frisket at her heels.

"Are you enjoying your biscuit, Bob?" Hexadecimal asked sweetly, hovering in front of the chair where the Guardian was discreetly attempting to avoid ingesting any of the virus' confection. Hack and Slash floated nervously behind him.

"Yes, it's very nice Hex. Thanks." Bob smiled. "Would you boys like some?"

"No! I, that is-"

"What he means is-"

"I didn't slave over a hot oven all day preparing those for your _lackeys_, Bob." Hex smiled with a hint of menace. "I didn't slave over a hot oven at all, actually. If I didn't know better I'd think you didn't _like_ my savories..."

"That's not it at all, Hex." Bob answered calmly, adopting the patient tone that he'd always found worked best with the virus. "I was just trying to be polite."

"I _like_ your new haircut, Guardian!" the virus purred, running her hand slowly down Bob's neck and across his back. "It's oh so very seductive..."

"Er - thanks." he sighed, squirming lower in his chair. "Dot likes it better short."

"Oh she does indeed!" Hex stiffened. "Well, we mustn't displease our precious Dot, must we Bob? You always were the selfless one, weren't you? Always thinking of others, never yourself..."

"I guess it's my code." the Guardian smiled lopsidedly. "So - how are you feeling, Hex? It seems like seconds since we've talked-"

"Every nano is like an _hour_, Guardian!" Hex cooed. "I was beginning to think you didn't like my company, it's been so long since you've visited me. Since that lovely little system restart, as a matter of fact."

"Yes, well - we've been busy. System settings, games -you know the routine."

"I don't like routines, Bob. Why don't you stay with me for a while, since you've come all this way? You wouldn't have to worry about routines with _me_, Guardian. Every cycle would be an adventure!"

"Well, I guess I've had enough adventure to last me a day, Hex. A little routine seems like a downright luxury to me now..."

"A pity." Hex scowled.

"So how's that new mask treating you - well? What have you been up to since the reboot? Have you noticed any-"

"Let's cut through the palace protocols, shall we Bob?" Hex smiled, casually waving her hand. Hack and Slash were blown through one of the tall windows and out of the parlor in a clank of tortured metal. "I don't feel like being a part of one of your games just now..."

Enzo was still catching his breath after the tickling attack from his older self, so he was content to recline against the bearded sprite's barrel chest, watching AndrAIa lead Frisket in a jog around the park. He could hear the game sprite's laughter faintly, and her long hair flew out behind her as she ran. "AndrAIa's totally alphanumeric!" he said dreamily.

Matrix frowned down at the boy, but swallowed his irritation when he saw the look on his face. "Yeah... you're right, Kid. She sure is..."

"She's so cool." Enzo sighed. "I still can't believe she's a game sprite - that's awesome, Dude! And you've known her since you were as little as me!"

"Almost. She's the best thing that ever happened to me. I dunno what I'd ever do without her." Enzo stared at the girl for a few nanos, then cast his eyes down, looking crestfallen. Matrix noticed the youngster's forlorn look and cursed himself internally. "Enzo - that is..."

"She's the best." the boy whispered. "I wish I'd met her when she was my age..."

Matrix struggled for something to say, but couldn't find the right file. Instead, a wave of memories came crashing over him, seeming as though they were only a few seconds old. He wrapped his arms around the youngster and held him gently, awkwardly, cursing the hours he'd spend in the net, away from contact with people. "I know." was the best he could do.

"It doesn't seem fair!"

"I guess it isn't. But things happen for a reason, Enzo. We just don't always know what it is. We're here, now - let's just enjoy it. At least AndrAIa can be your friend. That's something."

"I guess." Enzo replied dubiously. The boy was silent for a moment, then turned his gaze up at Matrix. "You too?"

"Sure." Matrix smiled, remembering loneliness. "That's something, isn't it?"

"Sure." Neither sprite said anything, content to watch Frisket chasing AndrAIa in the distance. "Y'know, it's totally basic, everything that happened. I mean - all that stuff. Mainframe almost crashing, Bob getting blasted into the net. It's terrible. But the weird thing is, it's kinda OK, too." The boy looked up, making sure than AndrAIa wasn't looking in their direction. Satisfied, he quickly twisted himself around and wrapped his arms around Matrix' neck for a nano. "I'm glad you're here. It's totally alphanumeric."

Matrix was speechless momentarily, as Enzo smiled briefly and blushed a little before looking away. When did talking go from being so easy to being so hard? "Thanks, Kid. Thanks. I'm pretty glad I'm here too. Wouldn't really want to be anywhere else."

"Cool." Enzo grinned. "Does that mean you're gonna be on my side when I get in trouble now?"

"We'll see." Matrix sighed. "Try not to put that to the test any more than you have to."

"Hey - it's not like I do stuff on purpose! Things just kinda ...happen. Y'know?"

"Yeah... Like that time I accidentally almost erased Dot's memory with a magnet."

"Hey - yeah!" Enzo exclaimed. "I was just playing with Glitch, that's all. Bob _said_ I could! And it just kinda happened. I didn't mean to. I felt terrible about it afterwards..."

"Yeah." Matrix echoed.

"And that time I accidentally slowed down the whole system's clock speed and almost crashed Mainframe. That was basic! All I wanted was to be smarter, that's all."

"I dunno about that one." Matrix chuckled. "I still think Phong never told me the whole truth about that..."

"Phong's cool. He's really smart."

"Smartest sprite I know. But he's tricky, too. You never quite know what he's up to until after he's done it - and sometimes not even then! You've got to watch him closely...

"Oh! And that time I almost got Bob nullified with that delivery service. That coulda been it - end file, quit without saving! I didn't mean to get him into trouble - it just seemed like it'd be so much easier if he didn't know Megabyte sent that package. And I almost got him deleted..."

"And even after that Bob still trusted me. He's pretty cool, huh?"

"He's the best!" Enzo nodded. "Dot too. Sometimes she can be kinda bossy, but she's always there whenever I need her."

"She only bosses you around because she thinks she knows what's best for you. She does it to everyone - even Bob! And she's usually right too..."

"Yeah! Remember that big fight she got into with Bob, all about us?"

"Sure I do!" Matrix nodded sympathetically. "Man - I thought they were gonna delete each other that time. But it was kinda flattering too, if you think about it."

''Whaddaya mean?"

"Well - it meant that she and Bob both cared enough about me - about us - that they were willing to not talk to each other because of it. It meant we were pretty important to both of them, right?"

"Hey yeah - that makes sense!" Enzo grinned. "I never really thought about it like that before..."

"Well... neither did I, for a while. I've had a lot more time to think about it than you have. But I always knew how much Dot loved me. Look at that surprise party she threw!"

"What surprise party?" Enzo frowned. "I don't remember that."

"Oops! I forgot!" Matrix chuckled. "That didn't happen yet. Well it _did_ happen, but not to you. I _guess_ it happened. That's pretty basic! I can't quite make sense of it."

"Dude! Tell me about it!"

"Maybe later, Enzo." he sighed. "There's plenty of time for that. I haven't thought about all this stuff in minutes. I forgot how alphanumeric some if was..."

"If you say so." Enzo frowned. It was so basic - he was sitting here, talking to himself! And Matrix remembered all that stuff - stuff that was in _his_ head, that felt like it had just happened. Except for Matrix it had been forever. And a whole bunch of other stuff, too, that Enzo didn't know about. And now he never would - it would never happen to him. The thought made him feel weird all over.

"You OK?" Matrix asked, concerned. "You're shivering."

"I'm fine. Just a little cold, I guess."

"Cold? It's a beautiful cycle! Maybe I should take you home..."

"I'm fine - Dot!" the youngster scowled.

"OK, OK. You win." Matrix laughed. "We stay."

Enzo leaned back on the crook of Matrix' arm and looked up at him. "Matrix, will you... will you teach me to fight? Like _you_ did, in the net?"

"What? No! Why would you ask me that?"

"I just wanna know." Enzo said defensively. "I think I should know the stuff you know how to do."

"Isn't Bob teaching you how to win games? What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing! Bob's great, he's teaching me gigabyes of stuff. But you're different. You're totally strong, and you act basic and everybody's scared of you."

"Thanks a lot!"

"No! I didn't mean it like that..." Enzo sighed, frustrated. "It's just - if I'm gonna be just like you, you know. When I grow up... maybe I oughtta learn to fight like you now. And you could teach me-"

"I don't know what you're gonna be like when you grow up, Enzo. _You_ don't know." Matrix said firmly. "You're going to be a different sprite than I am - at least if I have anything to say about it. You're gonna be right here, in Mainframe- not stuck out in the net like I was. What's your hurry, anyways?"

"Well... I heard you guys talking. About Daemon. And if she comes back, I might have to fight-"

"Don't worry about Daemon." Matrix interrupted. "Don't worry about fighting, or the web, or anything else. Just worry about being a little sprite. Bob and I will deal with Daemon if she tries to hurt you, believe me."

"I can help!" the boy protested. "I might have to!"

"All right, that's enough. Let's not talk about it anymore, all right? And don't pout - Sprout!"

"Fine!" Enzo hissed.

"Sorry!" Matrix chuckled. He punched the boy's shoulder affectionately. "I _do_ understand, believe me. Better than anyone else. Just remember that, when you're feeling lonely - there's always gonna be at least one other sprite around who understands. So you'll never be alone."

Enzo was surprised by the big sprite's burst of eloquence. Somehow, it had been exactly the right thing to say. "That's totally cool, Matrix. Thanks." he smiled.

"No problem. And you can call me Enzo, if you want. But only if there's nobody else around..."

Bob casually took a sip of his tea, a bemused expression on his face. "Well, you've finally got me alone, Hex. What's on your mind?"

"I think I should be the one asking you that, Guardian." she purred. "Besides, there's so little on my mind these days. I'm just living a simple, quiet life in the country, all alone..."

"So you're enjoying your new face, then?"

"It's a very strange face, Bob. It's so quiet, I can almost hear myself think."

"I can see why that would be a problem." Bob sighed, noting the PID affixed to the virus' breast. He ran his mind over the events of the last few nanos. That little gesture, tossing Hack and Slash away like nulls - it had done for show, obviously. Everything Hex did was. But had it been a demonstration of something - or an attempt to cover something up? It could have been, quite literally, a parlor trick...

"You're awfully quiet, Bob. I don't like that - it's been altogether too quiet in here lately. If you're not going to say anything I might have to-"

"Sorry - just thinking about your delicious biscuits." Bob smiled. "How are you fixed for power, Hex? It's awfully dark in here. Maybe Phong could arrange to have your sectors connected to the main power grid-"

"Such generosity, Guardian!" Hex purred, running a finger along his cheek seductively. "And offered with only the purest of intentions, no doubt! Such selflessness from my dear old friends. I think I may need to sit down and have a good cry..."

Bob sighed. The virus was obviously as coy as ever. "If you need the power, Hex, we're happy to provide it - maybe there's something you could offer in trade. Even if you don't, we could always offer something else-"

"Trade?!" Hexadecimal snarled. "You insult me Bob - to think I can be bought off by anything from your little world of trinkets and toys!"

"I didn't mean-"

"If you want something from me, Bob, you need only ask for it. I shall either give it, or I shall not. Nothing you could offer me would sway my mind - predictable as it seems to have become." The virus smiled thinly. "I have everything I could ever want or need already, Bob - well, except perhaps for one little thing..."

"You happy, Boy? Was that fun?" AndrAIa grinned, hands on knees. Frisket dropped down onto his chest, panting and grinning. The game sprite wrapped her arms around his neck affectionately, marveling at how important the dog had become to her during their hours of companionship. Strangely, though, she still knew so little about him - even Enzo didn't seem to understand just what the strange animal _was_. He was clearly like no other dog she'd even run across...

"Come one Boy - wanna go see Enzo?" Frisket woofed enthusiastically and nodded. AndrAIa chuckled. The first few times the dog had actually nodded or shook his head, she'd tried to tell herself that it was her imagination - she was humanizing the beast. But now she took it as fact, even if she couldn't explain it. Frisket understood things, even if she wasn't sure just how. She took off at a languid walk towards the directory tree where she'd left Enzo. Both of them.

That was another thing she was sure about Frisket - his devotion to those two green-haired sprites was almost human in it's depth and complexity. AndrAIa was pretty sure Frisket wouldn't hesitate to injure or kill anyone - even her - if he got it in his processor that they were a threat to Enzo. Fortunately, she'd convinced the pooch early on that wasn't likely to be the case with her. Not that she couldn't understand how he felt...

The game sprite grinned as she approached. Enzo was still reclining on Matrix' lap, and both sprites were smiling - smiling! - and talking animatedly. How she'd longed for that sight, during all those long minutes of lonely isolation in the games. Her love had never wavered - only her patience. But she always returned to the sprite that was her whole existence. He'd freed her from the prison she'd been trapped in, and she always knew she would return the favor. Whatever it took.

"Hey!" Matrix smiled as Frisket bounced up to the pair and began licking Enzo's face. AndrAIa smiled in return but said nothing, content to watch in silence. "What?" the bearded sprite challenged after a nano.

"Nothing." she chuckled, kneeling down and giving both sprites a kiss on the cheek. "Just thinking about how much I love both of you." The two recipients stared at each other, Enzo blushing bright red.

"Gee... Thanks AndrAIa." the boy stammered. The game sprite was charmed by his embarrassment - it brought back so many memories...

"What brought this on?" Matrix grinned quizzically.

AndrAIa joined Enzo on the big sprite's lap and leaned back luxuriantly. "Nothing - I'm just feeling particularly lucky today, that's all. And I'm happy to see you two getting along. What've you been talking about?"

Frisket bounced on top of AndrAIa and Enzo, prompting a grunt from Matrix. "Oof! Anyone _else_ wanna climb on? Nothing much, just - stuff. Right, Enzo?"

"Right." Enzo grinned, thrilled to have a shared secret with his older self. It was totally alphanumeric.

"Well, that's just pixelacious." AndrAIa teased. "Some kind of 'no girls allowed' thing, huh? I guess you two are just one big shared file, aren't you?"

"Don't start with me, Andri!" Matrix sighed. The big sprite wrapped and arm around Enzo and AndrAIa and leaned back against the tree. Frisket stretched himself across their laps and promptly went to sleep.

AndrAIa giggled and lay her head on Matrix' chest with a sigh. She wished she could save and end-file that nano - it felt perfect to her. Matrix's arm was strong and comforting around her shoulder, and Enzo's grin lit the sky around them with pure exuberance. The only nagging concern in the back of mind was Bob. She couldn't help but worry a little, knowing Hex - but the Guardian knew how to take care of himself...

Hexadecimal waved her finger, and a dainty cup and saucer appeared in Bob's hand. "Er - thanks." he sighed, braving a sip of the steaming liquid. "Since you're so keen about getting to the point, Hex - what do you want?"

"All in good time, my sweet lovely - you just enjoy your tea now." the virus purred. "There you go again - always thinking of others, never yourself. Don't worry - there'll be plenty of time to discuss _my_ needs later, Love." Hex grinned and delicately planted herself in Bob's lap, running a hand through his hair. "Now why don't you just tell Auntie Hexadecimal what it is that _you_ want?"

"If you like." Bob replied calmly. "I - we - want your help."

"_My_ help? Oh, how precious! You know I'd do anything at all for you, Bob! Anything..."

"I'm glad to hear it. I'm here as a Guardian, Hex - the defender of this system. We've already been attacked, once - and we surely will be again. We need your help to upgrade our defenses."

"How frightfully tedious – is _that_ all?" the virus snarled. "My Dear Boy - surely you realize that your petty disputes bore me to tears? Isn't there anything _else_ you'd like me to do for you?"

"You _owe_ me, Hex - you know it." Bob said in a low voice. "You'd have been nullified along with the rest of us when the system crashed if-"

"Yes, yes. Is that why you came here, Bob - to give me a history lesson? I'd much rather teach _you_ a few things..."

"Concentrate, Hex!" Bob sighed, exasperated. It was like talking to the most dangerous child in the net. "Don't pretend ignorance with me - I know you understand everything that's happened. If Daemon destroys Mainframe, your bitmap will be just as deleted as all of ours."

"Why would I want to help you, Guardian - after all, you were the one who destroyed my _dear_ brother-"

"The same brother who caged you like a null and used you to lay waste to Mainframe?"

"A small sibling quarrel, no more." Hex grinned, standing. "It broke my heart to see him lost in the web - he brought so much chaos into my life. So much chaos... It's all so predictable now, isn't it? And it's _your_ fault, Guardian!"

"I don't think you really believe that, Hex - but maybe you do. Frankly, I don't care." Bob answered, standing and setting his teacup down gently. "If you don't want to help me, than don't. But I don't have the time to-"

"Please, Sweet Boy - I didn't say no, did I?" the virus laughed screechingly. "You might perhaps persuade me to assist your little band of sprites, Bob. It would certainly be fun to hear you try."

"It's pretty simple, really. There's a supervirus out there, somewhere. She's got a lock on my icon, and Matrix' too. Mouse has done her best to hide Mainframe from her, and Mouse is the best at what she does. But Daemon will find us, sooner or later - I know it, you know it, all of us know it. If we're not prepared for her, we'll all be deleted."

"But what does that have to with _me_, Bob?" Hex cooed.

"You're - well... sneaky. Deceptive."

"Why thank you!"

Bob couldn't resist a half-smile. "You understand how viruses think, Hex - whether you are one anymore, or not..." The Guardian paused hopefully, but Hex merely grinned sweetly back at him. "You understand better than anyone in Mainframe. If we can rewrite our virus detect protocols, anticipate how the attack will come-"

"That would be _treason_, Bob!" Hex hissed. "You're asking me to be a traitor to my own kind! What possible reason could I have for wanting to do that?"

"Because I'm asking you." Bob frowned. "Because I helped you, freed you from a torment that I can't even begin to understand. Because I saved you, when everyone else in Mainframe would have been more than happy to see your code erased for good with the Reboot. Because you owe me."

"How very inspiring, Guardian! How could I _possibly_ have been so selfish? I'll never do anything bad again!"

Bob laughed, shaking his head. "I can see I'm wasting my time here, Hex. If-"

"What's in it for _me_ Lovely Boy?" Hex interrupted.

"What?"

"You heard me, Sweet. What can you offer me in return for my invaluable assistance? What do you get the girl who has everything?"

Bob hesitated. "Well... As I said, if you need it, Phong can hook Lost Angles up to the main power grid. We can offer you protection when the attack comes-"

"Boring!" Hex snarled. "Try again!"

"Well-"

_"WARNING_: _INCOMING GAME_

__

___WARNING: INCOMING GAME_"

"Cool!" Enzo exclaimed. "A game cube! Let's hit it!"

"Hold up, Sparky!" AndrAIa said, grabbing him by the collar. "What about Bob?"

"I dunno." Matrix frowned. "He's probably still at Hex's - who knows what's going on there..."

"Looks like it's gonna hit right on top of the Principal Office!" AndrAIa shouted. "If there's any chance Bob won't make it in time-"

"We _have_ to go!" Enzo cried urgently. "Come on - what're you waiting for? Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. Bob's been training me-"

"All right, that's enough!" Matrix snapped. "He's right though, Andri - better not take any chances. Let's do it."

"Wa-hoo!" Enzo laughed.

"By the code! A game cube! I wonder where it will come down..."

"I don't know, Captain." Dot answered, worried. "If Bob is still at Hex's - it might not be the easiest thing for him get away from her..."

"Do you want to go to the game, M'lady?" the pirate asked gently. "I can watch over things here, of course..."

"I'd better not." Dot answered, eyes closed. "Bob might need me, if - if anything... Matrix and AndrAIa will go to the game, I'm sure. If we're all in the game, and Bob needs help..."

"Are you certain, Lass? What of young Enzo?"

"If - if Bob can't get to the game, Matrix will handle it. He'll make sure things are taken care of."

"Things, Miss Dot?"

"I trust him." she said, not opening her eyes. "I trust him, of course I do..."

"Let me go, Hex!" Bob snarled. "I'm not playing - this is a game!"

"Just like a boy - running off to play games just when things are getting interesting." Hex sighed. "I think you'll stay with me for a while, Guardian. I'm not ready to end the party."

"Cursors, Hex - that's enough!" The Guardian turned towards the door, but it was gone. "It won't work, Hex - you can't keep me here!"

"But I think I-_can_, Guardian!" Hex shrieked, waving her hands. A flood of nulls began pouring through the tall windows of the parlor, forming a wall around the Guardian and the Virus. "That should nullify any plans you had to leave, Bob! Hee hee Ha ha!" The virus laughed merrily, her voice rising to a shrill shriek that rose above even the deafening squeals of the wall of nulls.

"Cursors!" Bob spat. "This just isn't my minute for missed games..." He looked sidelong at the virus, still consumed with mirth. Maybe it'd be best to reserve judgment on her sanity after all...

The purple cube descended towards the Principal Office, where a smattering of screaming binomes were scurrying out the doors, trying to avoid the path of the cube. "Still no sign of Bob!" Matrix cried over the static as the three sprites and the dog positioned themselves under the descending cube.

"Looks like we're on our own then." AndrAIa replied, clapping Enzo on the shoulder. "You ready, Guardian?" she asked.

"Ready!" Enzo grinned.

"I hope Bob's all right..." AndrAIa sighed.

The telltale crackle of static filled the air as Bob threw his zip board to the ground in disgust. "Delete it, Hex - you don't understand! Enzo will try to go into the game without me! He's not ready for that, I've barely started training him!"

"So devoted. So caring. You're quite the little den mother, aren't you Guardian? Let someone else play nursemaid to the child for once, Bob - we have grown-up matters to discuss...

Enzo felt the familiar tingle on his skin as the cube reached them, along with the rush of adrenaline that made him feel like he could jump right out of his socks. There was a moment of disorientation, then his vision returned.

"What the..." Matrix hissed. They stood on a hard gray surface, surrounded by patches of green grass and small, odd-looking dwellings, all in rows. Little tendrils of the gray surface snaked off the main length of it, leading up to the dwellings. "Where are we?"

"I don't recognize this one." AndrAIa mused, looking around her. "This is totally basic - low-res!" The entire environment had a blocky, crudely drawn look about it.

"Dude!" Enzo whispered, pointing. A small cadre of yellow-skinned children rushed past them on some sort of strange, self-powered two-wheeled vehicles. "This is twisted!"

"I have a very bad feeling about this..."

"Yeah... Yeah, me too." Matrix said softly. "Well, no point in wasting time. Ready?"

"Ready!" Enzo answered, a serious scowl on his face. AndrAIa nodded, and the big sprite reached for his icon. "Reboot!"

"Reboot!" Enzo echoed, reaching down and double-clicking Frisket's icon along with his own. He opened his eyes and looked down at his hands. They were the same bright yellow as the children they'd seen nanos before, and contained only four fingers. "Basic!" he whispered. The boy looked up and, seeing the others, a choking laugh escaped him.

"What?" Matrix scowled, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Enzo was still a boy, but his appearance was strange - his hair was spiky blond, and he was dressed in strange clothes that Matrix hadn't seen before. Frisket had rebooted into a sleek brown canine form. And AndrAIa's appearance was even more bizarre. What _was_ this game? "You two look ridiculous!"

"Cowabunga, Dude!" Enzo laughed.

"Have you checked _yourself_ out, Sparky?" AndrAIa asked wryly.

Matrix surveyed himself, only to find a huge pot belly draped in a white shirt. He felt his head. He was bald! "D'oh!" he sighed, slapping himself on the forehead.

_ _


	2. Chapter II

NULL AND VOID

PART II

__

_It was totally basic. I hated it, and it was happening more and more. I didn't really understand all of it, but I knew a lot of it was about me, and that made me feel even worse._

_"Just stop it, you two." I heard Dot say. The door to the kitchen didn't do much to block out the sounds inside, but somehow Bob and Dot never seemed to figure that out. I was glad of that - I'd never have found anything out otherwise. But there was some stuff I guess I'd have been happier not knowing..._

_Matrix was talking. "Bob, I know you mean well. But surely you realize that even you can't protect him completely? Look at what happened last time!"_

_"Enzo-" It was Dot. Sounding angry._

_"Matrix, if you think that I'd ever allow anything to happen to Enzo-"_

_"Of course I don't, Bob! But you can't control everything that happens - I found that out the hard way."_

_"Enzo! Stop it! Stop it now!"_

_"It's all right, Dot-"_

_"Look, I'm sorry. I don't like to keep bringing this up. But you can't change what happened, either of you. Events control sprites, not the other way around. I can't be a party to anything that risks a repeat of what happened before."_

_"Enzo, I understand how you feel. Believe me I do. But this is something we can discuss, something we can deal with. I still don't see how it justifies-"_

_"It's more than that, Bob." Matrix sounded different than I'd ever heard him before. "You know it. You can't change the past, and you can't return to it either. I understand how Mouse felt, believe me. I'm not needed here and you know it."_

_"Enzo, that's not true!" Dot was crying. I'd never heard her cry as much as she had lately. "How can you possibly-"_

_"I'm sorry, Sis. I really am."_

_"Enzo, you know how dangerous a position we're in. We've had a few false alarms, but the next one might not be. We don't even know that they _were_ false alarms!"_

_"Maybe so. But I can be more useful to you out there. Sooner or later we've got to take the fight to Daemon. All I'm doing now is leading her to you. There's no one else out there to take her on, Bob. We don't know where Mouse is - if she's even alive."_

_"She's alive!" Dot said, her voice full of anger. It almost sounded like hate. I was scared, all of a sudden._

_"Matrix, think clearly about this. What about-"_

_"I have, Bob - believe me. We're playing into her hands by waiting for her to come at us at her own pace. Someone has to take the fight out there, and who else is there? You can't go - you're needed here. You know it. That leaves me. And AndrAIa."_

_"Have you discussed this with AndrAIa?"_

_"Of course."_

_"And how does she feel about it?"_

_"She hates it. But she understands. We've been through everything together, Bob. She'll go if I ask her to."_

_"I can't believe I'm hearing this!" Dot sobbed. "After all of the hard work, all you've suffered - all we _all_ suffered! I can't believe I'm hearing this!"_

_"Nothing's definite." Matrix said in a low voice - I could barely hear him. "We're all emotional. There's nothing to be gained by talking about this any more right now..."_

_Footsteps. I backspaced away from the door and jumped over the bar, my heart pounding. I landed on a stool and watched the door open. Matrix came out and saw me right away. I was pretending to watch a vidscreen, but I don't think I fooled him - my hands were shaking._

_He stared at me for a nano and I thought he was gonna say something, but he didn't. He sighed real deep and walked out of the diner. I watched him go, trying to calm myself down, trying to remember the exercises Bob was teaching me. They didn't work._

_When I looked back, Bob and Dot were standing in the doorway. Bob had his arm around her shoulder, and Dot was trying not to look like she'd been crying. It made me sad and angry all at once. Bob winked at me and slumped down in a booth._

_Dot took a couple of deep breaths and sat down next to me at the counter. "How are you, Sweetie? Did you get your homework finished?"_

_I was almost too shocked to reply. I think we were both pretending, but I couldn't be sure just what. "Yeah... yeah, thanks." I said softly. "Uh - is everything OK?"_

_"It's just fine. Just fine..." She squeezed my shoulder and kissed me on the cheek. "I'm a little tired. I think I'm going to head downstairs, all right? Don't stay up too late, Young Man!"_

_"I... I won't." I whispered, thinking how strange this all was. Like if she pretended nothing was wrong I'd never have known._

_"I'll make sure he gets to bed. We'll be down soon." Bob called wearily. "Just get some downtime, Dot. Don't worry."_

_Don't worry... It was totally basic. Everything felt wrong, like it felt right after the reboot, only worse. I felt bad, like my life was changing. It was spinning out of my control._

Two figures hovered on a longboard, far above the city spread out below them. Even the Principal Office - and the purple cube that enveloped it - were mere dots below them. "Another game cube. You ever been in one o' those, Love?"

"A game?" Mouse grinned. "Oh, I dunno, Sugar. Maybe one or two here and there. Nothin' to copy and paste about."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're never quite telling me everything?" Ray challenged, bemused.

"Don't ask _me_, Surfr. I'm a paragon of trust and openness. You're just overly cynical, that's all."

"Yeah, that's the problem." Ray chuckled. "I'm gonna have to try me one o' those games sometime. Seems interesting."

"One's as much as the next, pretty much." Mouse sighed. "I kinda thought my code might be processin' in that direction, for a while. I got sick of it. Way too predictable for my tastes."

"Sure you're all right, Love?" Ray asked her over his shoulder. "You still seem kinda low-res to me. Anything I-"

"I'm fine, Handsome. Don't worry your pretty l'il head about it."

"If ya say so. Wanna head down to the diner - access a shake?"

"Lead the way, Sugar." she answered, grabbing his waist.

"Hang on!" he cautioned, out of habit. With a puzzled frown, he banked the longboard down and towards the city.

"This is basic! Who in the net would play a game like this by _choice_? I mean - look at me! What exactly am I supposed to be?"

"I dunno, Lover." AndrAIa giggled. "I'm guessing not a professional athlete, judging by your physique."

"And these clothes... And you! What's up with that hair?"

"What about my hair?" AndrAIa said defensively, throwing her hands up and feeling the top of her head. "What the-"

"It's blue! And it's half as tall as your whole body. I mean - what kind of mind comes up with this stuff?"

"I think it's kinda cool!" Enzo grinned. The boy had spiky blond hair and was dressed in an orange shirt and blue shorts. "These clothes are kinda weird, though. And what does _this_ thing do?" The youngster held up a narrow, flat board with an array of wheels on its base.

"I'm not sure." Matrix mused. "Some kind of zip board, maybe?"

"Lemme try it." Enzo dropped the board, but it fell to the ground with a crash. "It's broken!"

"I don't think so." AndrAIa smiled, kneeling down and picking up the object. "Here, look - I think those wheels go on the ground, and you roll it. See?"

"Why?" the boy asked, puzzled.

"Some kind of primitive transport, I guess. I think you're supposed to stand on it, just like a zip board. Give it a try."

"OK." Enzo said hesitantly. He stepped gingerly on the board, but it stubbornly refused to budge. "It doesn't go anywhere! What good is it?"

"Push off - with your foot!" the game sprite encouraged. Frowning, the boy kicked out his right foot and rolled a short distance. "There you go!"

"Alphanumeric!" Enzo laughed. His inborn dexterity served him well - the strange movement actually felt quite natural. He kicked off again and started rolling down the gray surface.

"Be careful!" AndrAIa cautioned. "You're still new at this!"

"Don't have a cow, Man!" Enzo laughed, circling them. "This is pixelacious!" Approaching a lip in the surface, he leapt into the air, pulling the board after him with his feet.

"Stop that!" Matrix shouted. "We've got work to do!"

"Eat my shorts!"

"Enzo! You stop that language right now or I'll send you to your room!" AndrAIa barked.

Enzo screeched to a halt, admonished. "_What_ did you say?"

"I'm not sure..." AndrAIa sighed, head in hands. "This is totally bizarre..."

"Look - as much fun as this is, shouldn't we figure out the object of this thing and get it over with?" Matrix interrupted. "No Glitch, no game stats. Anyone have any ideas?"

"That seems to be the biggest building around." AndrAIa said, pointing to a complex of towers and pipes looming over the town. "Maybe we ought to head there - could it be like their Principal Office?"

"Possibly... I haven't got any better ideas. Let's do it."

"Call off your nulls, Hex. I'm not going anywhere now - you've already made me miss the game."

"Poor, poor Bob - how ever will you manage? We'll just have to think of something." The nulls began, slowly, to disperse.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." the Guardian sighed, falling back into his chair. "Well, I'm here. The least you can do is answer my question."

"And what question was that, Darling?"

"Will you help us or not?" The Guardian fought hard to control his temper. ~Order over Chaos!~ he told himself. "Well?"

"That depends, Bob. I'd love to help you - nothing would bring more joy to my weary soul." she replied sweetly. "But I must feel as though I'm getting something in return - a point of pride, you understand. It's not good for a girl to give away her services too cheaply, is it?"

Bob felt as though he'd walked the length of Mainframe to move a single step. "About time. What's your price, Hex? If you don't want the power, I don't know what else Mainframe has to offer-"

"Mainframe has nothing I want, Guardian." the virus answered in a low voice. "You, on the other hand..."

"What's that?" Enzo asked, pointing to an oblong building with large windows along it's front face. "Some kind of store, or something?"

"I dunno." Matrix answered. "I guess we could check it out..."

"Cool!" Enzo neatly kicked his new board up into his hands and approached the building. AndrAIa shrugged, winked at Matrix and followed him. The twin glass doors opened, revealing a cluttered interior of strange packaged items on shelves and in glass display cases. A sour, stale smell pervaded the place.

"Oh, Mister Homer!" a brown-skinned game sprite called upon their entrance. "If you are here to be doing the looting, you may do it somewhere else!" The sprite pointed an ominous-looking object at the trio.

"I think he's talking to you!" AndrAIa whispered.

"Me? Maybe... And that looks a rifle." Matrix offered a strained smile. "Excuse me - maybe you could tell us just what's going on around here? Has there been some sort of trouble?"

"As if you are not knowing!" the game sprite barked. "Please to be going away now, or I will fill you full of lead!"

"Friendly chap." AndrAIa sighed.

"What's a squishy?" Enzo asked, wide-eyed.

"We'd better get out of here." Matrix frowned, leading the other two out of the building. "That's basic - that was obviously some sort of business. But why would someone point a weapon at their customers? I'd love to hear Dot's opinion on that!"

"Some kind of trouble, I'd assume." AndrAIa mused, as Enzo gleefully looped between them on his board. "He said 'looting' - didn't we run into that in one of those police games once?"

"Yeah - we did! After a disaster, or a fire, or something... It might have something to do with the point of this game."

"Let's try this place!" Enzo called, steering his board towards a grimy storefront with a sign atop the door that said "Moe's".

"Enzo, wait!" Matrix shouted, but too late. The boy disappeared through the door. "I'm gonna have to talk with that kid about running off in the middle of games! He shouldn't be doing this, Andri - he's not old enough to handle it!"

"Chill, Sparky. Let him have a little fun - it'll get serious soon enough. C'mon, let's catch up to him."

"Dude - what is this place?" Enzo asked, wrinkling his nose. It was like Dot's - but not like it at all, at the same time. There was a bar, tables - but a foul stench filled the air. A rotund figure - even more rotund than Matrix' form - was slouched on a bar stool, and a slimy looking sprite with curly hair stood behind the bar, polishing a glass.

"Hey, Kid. Wanna beer?" the slimy sprite asked.

"What's 'beer'?" Enzo asked suspiciously.

"Heh heh! Good kid, that's right. Of course you ain't gonna have a beer!" Matrix and AndrAIa appeared in the doorway, their facial expressions a fair imitation of Enzo's a nano earlier. "Heya Homer! Brought the whole family, huh? That's great, just great. Nuthin' better fer business than kids and dames..."

"There's that name again! Must be you!" AndrAIa whispered. "Talk to him - find out what's going on!"

"Uh, Hi..." Matrix began awkwardly. "Hi... Moe?"

"Whassa matter with you, Homer? You ain't gettin' drunk soemwheres else, are ya?"

Enzo bounced onto a bar stool next to the fat sprite, but drew back almost at once. "_Dude_! You stink worse than Old Man Pearson's Data Dump!"

The somnolent figure raised its head and looked at the youngster with a somber expression. "Judge not, lest ye be judged." With that, he let out a tremendous belch and collapsed onto the bar.

"Heh heh! Cute kid, Homer. Ain't that right Barty? So what'll it be, Homer?"

"Uh - I/O shot please." Matrix replied, sliding onto a stool next to Enzo.

"Real funny, Homer. Yer a reg'lar Shecky Greene." the bartender said sarcastically. "Here ya go." he slid a mug of frothing golden brown liquid in front of Matrix.

"Er - thanks..." Matrix said dubiously, staring down at the glass.

Enzo cautiously sniffed the contents. "Major disgusting, Dude!"

Matrix brought the beverage to his lips and took a sip. "Hmmm. Not bad..." he mused. He took a large swallow. "Mmmm. Brown liquid...."

"Matrix!" AndrAIa hissed, poking him in the ribs. "Get to the point! He's your friend, obviously. Find out what's going on!"

"D'oh! You're right!" Matrix replied. "Say Moe - what's everybody all upset about? The guy in that weird little store just pointed a weapon at me for no reason."

"Must be that business at the power plant. Surprised ya didn't hear about it, seein' as ya work there an' everything."

"The - plant?" Matrix asked dubiously. "Of course, the plant... So what's going on over there?"

"Something about an atomic blast, fallout, total devastation of the city." the bartender replied casually.

Matrix and Enzo shared a frown. "So what're you still doing here?"

"Well, I can't close while Barney's here, can I Homer? Besides, this stuff seems to happen just about every week."

"Thanks, Moe." Matrix sighed. "Come on, you two - I'm willing to bet that whatever an 'atomic blast' is, we're supposed to stop it." He turned and looked longingly at the glass on the bar. "That sure was good....

"Just come on!" AndrAIa hissed, pulling at his elbow. "We've got work to do." Enzo giggled and followed them out to the street. He jumped onto his board and weaved his way towards the complex of buildings at the edge of the city, as AndrAIa and Matrix took a more direct route on foot.

"What's a nuclear power plant?" Enzo frowned, looking at the sign on the wire fence that guarded the complex of buildings.

"Some kind of generator." Matrix answered. "I was in a nuclear submarine in a game once. They make weapons out of this nuclear stuff, I know that."

"I don't like this place." AndrAIa hissed, looking up at the two massive circular towers that loomed over the complex.

"Yeah - me either." Matrix echoed. "It gives me the jaggies. But I think we have to get in there, somehow."

"Let's climb the fence!" Enzo grinned, kicking his board under his arm and striding towards the barrier.

"Enzo - no!" AndrAIa grabbed him. "It could be electrified!"

"Sorry." the youngster said softly, bowing his head. "I Guess I wasn't thinking..."

"That's OK." the game sprite grinned, lifting his chin up. "Just be careful, OK? We don't want to lose you!"

Matrix shook his head disgustedly. "We've got to find another way in there. There must be a gate around here somewhere..."

"There!" Enzo pointed to where a small guardhouse stood along the fence.

"Good eye, Enzo!" AndrAIa grinned. Enzo beamed up at her. "But it appears to be locked..."

"There's someone coming!" Matrix hissed.

A small figure was shuffling it's way towards them from the other side of the fence. It appeared to be an old sprite, dressed in strange, uncomfortable looking black clothes. "Ahoy-hoy!" the figure called, in a oddly familiar voice.

"Phong?!" Enzo squeaked.

_Dot was crying again - it seemed like she was always crying lately. Only now I understood exactly why. She wasn't even bothering to try to hide it from me anymore..._

_I was sitting at the counter, trying to pretend nothing was happening, but it wasn't working. Bob was over by the door, talking to Matrix and AndrAIa and trying to comfort Dot at the same time. Nobody was paying much attention to me, but that was fine - I wanted no part of any of it. I could hear little bits of their conversation that kept breaking through my attempts to block them out._

_ _

_"We'll keep our eyes open for Mouse..."_

_"I wish you'd reconsider all this. Think of everything you sacrificed to get here!"_

_"Remember - they've got a lock on your icon, you'll have to stay in game sprite mode..."_

_"Don't take any stupid chances..."_

_"Don't forget what I told you about games in the supercomputer - and that goes for_

_everything else there, too..."_

_"Don't worry - we'll make sure Daemon has plenty to think about..."_

_"I love you..."_

_"I love you too..."_

_"Stay frosty..."_

_ _

_Out of the corner of my eye, I could see them all starting to stand around and shuffle their feet. They'd run out of things to say to waste time. They started to mill around each other, hug each other. I heard Frisket whining, and AndrAIa knelt down and hugged him. I hid my face in my hands, hoping nobody would notice me, but I could feel someone staring at me._

_I looked over, and it was Dot. I locked eyes with her for a nano, then I looked away. Nobody said anything for a long while, but I knew they were all looking at me now. "Enzo, do you want to say goodbye?" Dot asked me. Her voice was almost gone._

_I didn't say anything - I just sat there and started straight ahead. I couldn't think of anything I really wanted to say. I knew if I said what I was thinking, I'd only make it worse, and I was trying to act like a grown-up. "Enzo?" Dot croaked again._

_It was basic - I could feel everybody staring at me, but I just couldn't bring myself to move. I had a million files buzzing around in my processor, and I couldn't file and sort any of them. The only thing I knew for sure is that it didn't seem real, somehow. I couldn't really believe that it was happening._

_I heard footsteps approaching me, heavy footsteps. It had to be Matrix. Big, clumsy Matrix. Just like I'd be big and clumsy some minute too. He clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Enzo... Do me a favor and look after everyone, all right?"_

_Somehow, it was exactly the wrong thing to say. Just what I'd expect Matrix to say when he was humoring a basic little kid. Here he was, telling me to take care of everyone - and he didn't even think I could take care of myself! "Yeah - sure, no problem." I said softly. "Good luck."_

_"Enzo-"_

_"Good luck!" I said again, louder. Like it was the last thing I was gonna say. He took the hint. I heard him sigh, and he lumbered away._

_"Bye, Enzo." I heard AndrAIa say. As soon as she said it, my gut started rolling like I'd been circuit racing upside down. I felt like someone had stuck a knife in my stomach and left it there. Before I knew it, I was on my feet and over at the door, staring up at her. Not sure why I was there, but knowing I had to be._

_She smiled at me, that little sly smile she had like she always knew what you were thinking, and grabbed my hand. "I love you!" I blurted out, and I was shocked to hear myself say it. I could feel my eyes starting to tear up. ~Don't do this! You're one-one! Be a man!~ I heard myself saying, in my head. But it didn't matter. All I could see was AndrAIa._

_I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision. She looked all watery, which I guess was kinda ironic since she's a sea sprite. Suddenly, everything made sense - I knew why I was standing there. "I couldn't let you go and never tell you!" I sighed, and I felt relieved that I'd finally gotten it out. "I love you. I'll always love you..."_

_"I know. I love you too." she smiled again, this time kind of sad. She kissed me on the cheek and hugged me, and I hugged her back as hard as I could. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to let her go, but I did, after a nano. "We'll be back. I'll see you soon, OK?"_

_I nodded, but I didn't trust myself to try to talk. I wasn't sure if I could. AndrAIa kissed Dot and she and Bob kinda moved off and stood in the door. Matrix grabbed Dot's hand, and they whispered something to each other. Then he started to walk off, too._

_I stood there for a few nanos with my eyes closed, just listening. Then I heard Matrix walking back towards me. "Hey." he said. "Whatever happens, just be careful. Always listen to Bob, and do everything he tells you. Dot too. Or I'll have to kick your bitmap next time I see you."_

_"OK." I said, opening my eyes. He was staring back at me, and he had a look on his face that I'd never seen before. He looked, I dunno... _Old_. I remember thinking that I was gonna look that old someday. Suddenly, I felt sorry for him and for myself at the same time. If there was a difference. "Why are you leaving? You don't have to! Why don't you just stay and-"_

_"Enzo, we've talked about this. I can't do anyone any good here. You and Bob have things well under control. I have to go and find out what's happening, stir things up a little. So we'll be ready when Daemon comes. I'll be back..."_

_"You said I'd never be alone. You said you'd always be around when I was lonely, that you'd understand! What happened to that?"_

_He looked like I'd punched him. It was weird, how I could always be mad at Matrix and feel sorry for him at the same time. I guess he was kinda the same with me. "I meant it, Enzo. I will be. Just not for a little while."_

_"If you say so..."_

_"Just be yourself, Enzo. That's what I'm trying to do." he sighed. He cuffed me on the cheek. "Take care of Dot and Frisket for me. And don't let Bob make any more deals with viruses..."_

_"Take care of AndrAIa. Promise!"_

_"Promise!" he said, trying to smile. He stuck out his hand, and I shook it, feeling numb. He hugged Dot, and he hugged Frisket too. Frisket was whining like crazy, so I knelt down next to him and scratched his ears. I closed my eyes again and just concentrated on Frisket and how soft and warm he felt. Just like always._

_"C'mon, there's a few more things I want to go over." I heard Bob say. "And we'll need to talk with Phong before you go. I'll open the portal there..."_

_And that was all. His voice faded, and they were gone. Frisket was still whining, and he was straining to get away. "Stay, Boy." I whispered. "Don't go anywhere now..."_

_I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up. It was Dot, and she was staring out the door. I looked out too, but I couldn't see them anymore. "Shouldn't you go with them to the P.O.?"_

_I whispered._

_She smiled kinda crookedly at me. "This is where I need to be right now." That's when it all kinda fell apart, and I lost it. I stood up and hugged Dot, and just started crying. I could hear her crying too. I don't know what I'd have done without her - ever. No matter what happened, Dot was always there for me. Always..._

_ _

_ _

"Me?" Bob asked, bemused. "And what exactly do you want from _me_, Hexadecimal?"

"Use your imagination, Dear Boy!" the virus giggled. "I'm sure you can think of something!"

"I'm not here to play games, Hex! If-"

"Games again! It's always games with you Guardians, isn't it?" Hex grinned toothily. "It's really quite simple, Bob - I'm a new virus. I've turned over a new file. And I'm just ever so lonely here all by myself..."

"You've got Scuzzy." Bob smiled thinly.

"Indeed." she answered evenly. "But Scuzzy is just my familiar, Bob - my _pet_ if you will. There are certain..._needs_ that he can't provide for. Certain stimulations..."

"Intellectual of course."

"Oh, but of course!"

"Did you want Mike back? I think I could arrange that-"

"Do not _toy_ with me, Guardian!" the virus howled. "This is not one of you pathetic little games!"

"A new virus, huh?" Bob replied calmly. "If you're lonely, Hexadecimal, you can always come and join us in the city. I'm sure we could arrange some very comfortable quarters for you in Baudway somewhere-"

"No, Guardian! I can see we're having a little difficulty communicating." the virus hissed. "I am rather attached to my little lair, Bob - I hardly think that's the answer."

"Well, than we appear to be at an impasse." Bob sighed. "So if there's nothing further-"

"We don't have to be stalemated, Bob. All I'm asking for is a little companionship - a little quality time together. You could still visit your little friends sometimes..."

"_No_, Hex." Bob frowned. "That isn't going to happen. My life is out there - with those sprites. Not here."

"It's because of _her_, isn't it?" Hexadecimal snarled, baring her teeth. "That tiresome sow and her sniveling brother too! What do you see in her, Guardian? Doesn't her incessant mewling and complaining overload your circuitry?"

"Leave Dot out of this." Bob said softly. "It's not about her, Hex. I-"

"I think it _is_ about her." Hex pouted, turning away. "I wonder what would happen if-"

"That's enough!" Bob interrupted, struggling to keep his voice calm. "I came here as a friend, Hexadecimal. I can leave here as an enemy. The choice is up to you. Well?"

"Oh, what a wonderful performance!" the virus giggled. "So dramatic... so intense... you truly are an artist, My Sweet!"

"I'll be going then." The Guardian stood. "I'm sorry I wasted your time, Hex - _and_ mine. My offer still stands - if you want to be hooked up to the power grid, just ask. That'll be the end of it."

"Giving up so easily, Bob? Surely you're not going to leave yet! You've hardly begun to entertain me!"

"I've entertained you more than enough." The Guardian turned away, hands on his hips. "The door, Hexadecimal?"

"Bob-"

"The door! If you please."

"Wait, Bob! I've been thinking - perhaps I _could_ perform this service for you and your little playmates. We could just say you owe me a favor..."

Bob turned and raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so, Hex. I think the spreadsheet is tilted a little in the other direction, don't you? Or perhaps you'd have been happier with your old mask?"

"Do not try me, Guardian. You are dancing very close to the edge..."

"The door?" he asked impatiently. "Or should I just use a window?"

"I'll do it."

"What?"

"You heard me, Sweet - I'll do it." the virus smiled. "Perhaps it shall be fun - I'm sure old Phong will be quite consternated..."

"Just like that? No data strings attached? No hidden files?"

"Of course not, Darling. Let's just say that the next time, you can do _me_ a favor, shall we? Just so I can salvage my dignity, you understand!"

"_No_ , Hex!" Bob said firmly. "No favors!"

"Oh, but Bob - surely for something as critical to the defense of the system as this you won't let your _pride_ get in the way, will you? And you, the Guardian of the System! 'To mend and defend'! - isn't that what you say? All I'm asking is to, heh heh! Save _face_!" The virus screeched at her own joke.

Bob stared at her for a nano. "If you say so, Hex. When-"

"When I am ready, Guardian, you will know. You may run along now. Thank you _so_ much for coming - you've just made my cycle!"

"Thanks a lot!" Bob sighed. "Uh, Hex?"

"Yes, Sweet Boy?"

"The door?"

"Of course - how foolish of me! I'd forgotten all about it. No _where_ did I put it? A-ha!" The virus snapped her fingers, and the door appeared, in a completely different part of the lair than he had entered thorough. "I'm always opening doors for you, Bob..."

"Hex?"'

"Yes, yes, what now? Hmmm? Oh yes, of course." The virus waved her hands, and Hack and Slash fell through the ceiling and landed in a heap at the Guardian's feet.

"Bob!" Slash cried.

"It was terrible!" Hack added. "There weren't even any magazines!"

"And Hack was touching me."

"I was not touching you! Why must you always bring this up in front of Bob?"

"I think I broke a wheel."

"There's a lot of pain..."

"Come on, you two." Bob sighed, walking towards the door. Hack and Slash hovered behind him, casting nervous glances back at the virus. "Hexadecimal, as always it's been a blast."

"The pleasure was mine, Sweet Boy." she cooed, watching the trio depart. She snapped her fingers again, and Scuzzy flew through a window and landed at the foot of her chair. "There you are, My Pet! You've gone and missed all the fun! Just when things seem so tedious, Bob comes along to brighten my cycle! And I shan't forget, shall I? I'll be sure to make things most interesting for him..."

"It is about time you arrived, My Children." the black-clad figure tittered. "I was beginning to worry that I was alone in this game..."

"Phong?" Matrix gasped, his expression mirroring that of his diminutive twin. AndrAIa suppressed a giggle. "What - what are you doing here?"

"I was in the read-only room when the game cube fell, Young Guardian. I was unable to escape from under it's path. This is not my first time in a game, as you well know."

"Yeah - I remember! You saved my bitmap, too..."

"When was _that_?" Enzo challenged.

"Before your time - or should I say after?" Matrix chuckled. "So what are you supposed to _be_ exactly?"

"I might ask you the same, Child!" the old sprite replied, a little huffily. "I - oh, dear!"

"What is it?"

"That!" Phong sighed, gesturing towards a bespectaled sprite that was hurrying across the compound towards them. "I thought I had lost him..."

"Sir!" the sprite called out. "There you are, Sir. You've been acting awfully strange all day, Sir. Is it because you missed your four o'clock skin scraping?"

"A revolting sycophant!" Phong whispered. "He appears to be attached to me like glue..."

The curly-haired sprite reached their position along the fence. "Who are these people, Sir? Shall I set the robotic Richard Simmons on them?"

"Excuse me." Phong sighed, turning to face the newcomer. "I thought I told you to grease all of my calfskin wallets!"

"Er - yes, Sir." the puzzled game sprite stammered. "It's just - what with the impending nuclear holocaust, and all-"

"Great MacGuffin's ghost, Smithers - when I give an order I expect it to be carried out!" Phong snarled. "Now are you going to attend to those wallets or shall I begin interviewing for a new toady?"

"Of _course, Mr. Burns, Sir!" the sprite quaked. "I'll get right on it, Sir!" The bespectacled figure hurriedly backspaced towards the complex of buildings.

"That should keep him out of our gears for a little while."

"Phong!" Enzo gasped. "You were totally alphanumeric! You even had _me_ scared!"

"Where did _that_ come from?" AndrAIa laughed.

"It has already been a long cycle!" Phong frowned. "Now - are you going to stand out there gawking all day, or come in here and help me win this game?"

"How do we get in?" Matrix asked. "The gates are locked!"

"Follow me! I appear to be in charge of this entire establishment..." The old sprite shuffled his feet awkwardly towards the guardhouse. "I do not understand how you are able to _walk_ on these things!"

"Dude - this is twisted!" Enzo laughed. "I wish Bob were here to see this!"

"And me as well, Child... You! In there!"

A head popped out of the guardhouse. "Yes, Sir?"

"Open the gate at once, you nattering ninny!" Phong snapped.

"Yes Sir!" The metal gates swung open, and the trio of sprites, followed by Frisket, entered the nuclear complex. The dog was still walking awkwardly, trying to adjust to his spindly form.

"What can you tell us about the game, Phong?" Matrix asked as they followed the old sprite towards the main building. "What exactly are we supposed to be doing - and just what is a 'nuclear holocaust'?"

"Be thankful that you do not know the answer to that, My Son." Phong sighed. "Apparently there is some sort of crazed psychopath in this power plant, and he is threatening to set off an explosion which will crash their entire system - destroy the city, if you will. It is my guess that he is the User."

"The User is trying to destroy the city? Why?" AndrAIa asked.

"I do not know, Young One. It seems that it is our responsibility to stop him. Although at times it has been my impression that our biggest obstacle may be those who would claim to offer assistance..."

"All right, everyone stand clear! There's nothing to see here!" a blue-clad figure was shouting. He - like most of the figures in this strange environment seemed to be - was morbidly obese. "Everything's under control - I've seen 'The China Syndrome'!"

"_Now_ what?" AndrAIa moaned.

"Their chief of security." Phong replied. "He appears to be as dangerously incompetent as the rest of these people..."

Two more blue-clad figures approached the fat game sprite. "We found these inside, Chief." One of them said, holding up a rectangular box containing several sweet-smelling discs with holes in the center.

"Better confiscate those as evidence!" the Chief ordered, swallowing one of the discs in two bites. "Take 'em back to my car!"

"Come on - we have wasted enough time." Phong said crisply. "Come to my office and we will decide our strategy."

The old sprite shuffled off, Enzo and AndrAIa at his heels. After a moment, the game sprite turned and looked behind them, where Matrix was staring at the trio of security officers. "Matrix! What's the matter?"

"Mmmm.... Donuts..." Matrix whispered, drool dripping from his mouth as he stared at the box.

"Matrix! Snap out of it!" AndrAIa grabbed the bald sprite by the elbow. "We don't have time for this! And what are 'donuts'?

"I don't know. That's what it says on the box!" Matrix sighed. "What in the net is _wrong_ with me?"

"You mean besides being fat and bald?" Enzo laughed.

"Watch yourself, Sprout!" Matrix snarled.

"Don't have a cow-"

"That's enough, you two!" AndrAIa admonished. "Phong, this is totally basic! Some crazy User is trying to blow up this place and destroy the city? Why? What's the point?"

"Apparently, it is all part of some strange grudge." Phong sighed, opening the door to a large office. "Against young Enzo here, as a matter of fact."

"Me?" the boy squeaked. "I just _got_ here!"

"Back story, My Child. These game environments do not simply begin when we enter them, as I am certain AndrAIa could confirm for you."

"He's right, Enzo. The fundamental purpose of game sprites is to create a realistic game environment for the User. That means that all of their characters are fleshed out before you - er, _we_ - ever arrive."

"Coolness..." the youngster whispered. "I never thought of it like that before! So -what did I _do_ to get this guy all mad, anyways?"

"I am not certain, Child." Phong said absently, rolling out a blueprint on the massive desk in the center of the office. "The salient fact is that we must stop the User from detonating his explosive before he destroys this place - and the entire city."

"Any ideas on just how to do that?" Matrix asked, peering over the old sprite's shoulder.

"He has barricaded himself in the outer reactor core, Child. The nattering nabobs who present themselves as the local security forces seem unable to do anything about it. I suppose we shall have to find a way to get inside ourselves and disarm him."

"Sounds easy enough. You've got the plans for the entire plant right there. But I still don't understand what the User hopes to accomplish. What's his objective?" AndrAIa frowned.

"It has something to do with young Enzo - or shall I say Bart?" Phong mused. "That and someone named 'Krusty'. I do not know who that is. Apparently this psychopath - he calls himself 'Sideshow Bob' - has a particular grudge against both of them. He is demanding that they be given unto his custody - presumably for nefarious purposes - and he will disarm the bomb. Or so he claims."

"Sounds pretty pointless." Matrix sighed. "Well, there's some sort of a shaft, or a tunnel or something. Right there! Couldn't we just follow it right inside and surprise this Sideshow Bob?"

"Yeah - looks pretty basic." AndrAIa agreed. "Let's get busy!"

"It is not that simple, young AndrAIa. There is a problem with that particular avenue of ingress."

"And that is?"

"This air shaft that you refer to - it is indeed the only other entry into the core control room. Alas, it is very narrow - there is no way that AndrAIa or yourself could possibly squeeze through."

"Cursors!' Matrix spat. "Well - we'll just _have_ to find another way."

"There is no other way, Child. Only the front door. And any attempt to force our way through could convince the User to destroy the system."

"How narrow is it?" Enzo asked softly.

"Enzo - no!" AndrAIa barked. "You can't -"

"But I _could_ - couldn't I, Phong?" Enzo asked excitedly. "I could squeeze through and get into the core control-"

"No way, Enzo! Not on your bitmap!" Matrix interrupted. "It's too dangerous!"

"But-"

"The child is right, My Boy." Phong sighed. "He could fit inside the air shaft and gain entry. It may be the only way-"

"But that would be giving the User exactly what he wants! You said yourself that he's demanding that we turn over Enzo and this other guy - and you want to deliver Enzo right to him?"

"I do not _want_ to, Children. It is simply that there may be little or no choice. If we do not attempt this, we may be stalemated. It is only my reluctance that has prevented my suggesting it before now."

"Frisket could fit, too!" Enzo grinned. "He could protect me! We've _got_ to do it - there's no other way!"

"Wait just a nano!" AndrAIa threw up her hands in protest. "Even if we decide to do this - and I'm not saying we have - there's still the problem of radiation. Matrix and I have been in a few games with this nuclear stuff - it can mess you up pretty badly if you get too close! How can we send Enzo into a reactor core full of this stuff?"

"I have considered that, Child. The area where the User has barricaded himself is shielded - otherwise, he himself would have been overcome as you describe. If he has planted explosives in the core chamber, as he claims, perhaps he donned some sort of protective suit in order to access it, then retreated to a safe area, with a detonator."

"See? No problem!" Enzo grinned. Matrix glowered at the boy.

"So you're saying that Enzo could safely get inside? There's no radiation?"

"Not exactly, young AndrAIa. There levels are higher than I would like, even in the outer chamber, where the User is - but it should be safe providing there is no prolonged exposure."

"Well, _that_ makes me feel better!" Matrix scowled. "Phong, think about what you're saying - you're proposing we send Enzo through an air shaft into a radioactive chamber to deal with a psychopathic User. Just what is a zero-one sprite to do _then_ precisely?"

"Hey! _I've_ been in the games with Bob, Nullbutt! I can handle any User! You just-"

"Please - let's not start this again!" AndrAIa snapped, silencing both Enzos. The game sprite turned to Phong. "Sorry, Enzo - but it's a good question. What _will_ Enzo do if he gets inside with the User?"

"Do not forget that Frisket will be with him, Child - and we have all seen what he can do to even the most fearsome User." The old sprite nodded appreciatively at the dog, who yelped his approval.

"And what the User can do to _him_. He was shot once, you know!" Matrix protested. "Almost deleted!"

"What? You never told me that!"

"There's a lot I didn't tell you, Enzo." the bearded sprite said softly, eyes downcast. "There's a lot you don't need to know. But you need to know that games are _dangerous_ - for Frisket just like everybody else."

"You got my dog _shot_?"

"Please, Young Ones - this is achieving nothing." Phong sighed. He bridged his fingers and surveyed the group around him. "It is my opinion that this is our only recourse - our only avenue to win the game. It does not please me, and I will not force anyone to do anything they do not wish to do. It seems pointless to continue this debate - time is not on our side."

"I'll do it." Enzo said grimly. "I'll take care o' Frisket, and he can take care of me. Don't worry."

"That isn't likely!" AndrAIa frowned. The girl wrapped an arm around Enzo's shoulder and ruffled his spiky hair. "I don't like this either, but it does seem to make sense. Sometimes you just have to do what the game wants you to do - and this might be one of those times."

"What?! AndrAIa-"

"I know, Sparky." the game sprite smiled at Matrix. "Phong, if you think this is best, I believe it's best. But something is still bothering me."

"What is that, Child?"

"This game - there's something about it. It's not quite right..."

"Of course it's not right - it's totally basic!" Matrix fumed. "These bodies, these clothes, this place - who would dream up such a pointless environment?"

"It's more than that, Enzo. Think about all the games we've been in. There should at least be _some_ point to it - some objective. What does this User have to do to win the game, exactly? Blow up the city? If he wanted to do that he could have done it already! What's stopping him?"

"I dunno - maybe he needs us to be inside, or something..." Enzo offered.

"Maybe." she grinned at him. "But I've never seen a game set up that way - for the User to just be sitting around, waiting for something to happen. This whole scenario just feels wrong. I have an instinct for games, Enzo - I come from a game, don't forget."

"What are you saying, young AndrAIa?"

"I'm not sure, Phong. I just know that this is wrong. If anything, the User should have been _you_!" she pointed at Enzo. "Or you, Sparky. The whole thing is backwards, twisted..."

"It may be so, Child - in this arena your experience far outweighs mine." Phong frowned. "But it seems that we must attempt to win the game as it has been laid out, must we not? Else we would all face nullification. That is the only certifiable reality."

"You're right, Phong." AndrAIa said. The girl knelt next to Enzo and grabbed his shoulders. "Enzo - you be careful. Even more than normal, all right? Keep your eyes open for anything unusual."

"I promise!" the youngster grinned.

"What's the matter with Bob?"

"I do not know. Perhaps you should ask him."

"Why should _I_ ask him? _You_ ask him!"

"He is very quiet."

"I think he's going to say something."

"Maybe he is going to sing. Do you think he is going to sing?"

"I don't think he's gonna sing."

"I would enjoy a song right about now. Perhaps a show tune..."

"He's a Guardian! Guardians don't sing show tunes."

"I like music. A song would bring some levity to an otherwise tense moment."

"All right, Guys!" Bob snapped. "I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense - we're almost there."

"Now you made him mad!"

"Perhaps if he sang a song-"

"Enough!" The Guardian banked his zip board and flew towards the purple cube that dominated their field of vision. "Right over the Principal Office... _Not_ good. I hope Matrix and AndrAIa made it inside. And everyone else made it out..."

"Bob!" Dot called out from below them. The Guardian, Hack and Slash in tow, coasted to a stop in front of the Command.com. She was flanked by Gavin Capacitor and his second in command, as well as Mouse and Ray. "Thank the User you're back - that's one less thing to worry about!"

Bob took the woman in his arms and kissed her, surprising her with his intensity. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you..."

"You - you're all right?"

"I'm fine." he answered with a forced smile. "Just a little ticked off - she wouldn't let me out of the Lair in time to catch the game cube. Are-"

"What did she say?" Dot interrupted. "Is she going to help us, or not?"

"Yeah." Bob sighed. "It's a long story. We'll talk more about that later. Are Matrix and AndrAIa in the game?"

"Yes. They-"

"Enzo?"

"What do you think?" she answered wearily. "That's not all. Phong is in there too."

"Phong? That's a twist. Games aren't exactly his forte. I hope it's something he can handle - like Cyberchess."

"How come ya didn't tell me you were goin' to Lost Angles, Sugar?" Mouse interrupted.

Bob turned to her, surprised. "I - I guess I didn't really think about it, Mouse. You weren't around when we decided. Why - does it matter?"

"You tell me, Honey." she said evenly.

"I don't think you would have approved, would you?"

"You goin' to see Hexadecimal with nothin' but Flap and Jack for backup? Whadda you think, Bob?"

"Point taken." he smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry, Mouse - but it was important to the system that I go. Hex is in a unique position to help us."

"I've never seen this Hex person, Mate - exceptin' right after the reboot. Is she as crazy as Mouse says she is?"

"Well..." Dot scowled expectantly at the Guardian. "Mouse didn't exaggerate, Ray - Hex is a - strange - virus. Unpredictable..."

"Seems ta me both of us should learned somethin' about cozyin' up to viruses, Honey." Mouse scowled. "Fool me once, shame on me..."

"I know, Mouse. But I think things are different now. She's not the same Hex, you know."

"You hope." Dot sighed. "In the meantime, my brothers are stuck in a game without you, because of her. Let's hope it's something easy..."

"Don't worry - I can handle it!" Enzo said confidently, squeezing his way into the ventilator shaft. "Ow! Don't push so hard!"

"Sorry!" Matrix offered. "Remember - as soon as you're inside, your only goal is to get that door open, however you can. Don't try to take on the User yourself Enzo - let Frisket distract him if you have to. Just go for that door! Understand me?"

"Yeah, yeah. Understand!" the youngster's voice, muffled, came back from the passageway.

"Go on Frisket - follow Enzo!" AndrAIa encouraged. The canine looked at her quizzically. "Stay with him - make sure he doesn't get hurt!"

The dog nodded and leapt into the shaft in a single bound. "Good thing he rebooted thinner - he might not have fit in his real form!" AndrAIa chuckled. "You be careful in there!"

"We will!" Enzo called back, joined by a woof from Frisket. They could be heard crawling through the shaft for a few nanos, then there was silence. Matrix stood a few spans apart from the others, slowly clenching and unclenching his fist.

"Come, My Children - we must be prepared when Enzo achieves his goal." Phong called over his shoulder as he shuffled down the hallway. "There is little time to waste!"

"You back there, Boy?" Enzo whispered. Upon receiving an affirmative whine, the youngster continued his slow progress through the narrow shaft. "I guess the is the one time it's OK to be little, huh Frisket? Hate to get stuck in here!" Frisket snuffled quizzically.

"Never mind, Boy. Just keep following me." Enzo sighed. The boy had never liked confined spaces - that and the darkness of the ventilation shaft made it seem a little spooky. Talking took a little of the edge off of his fear. His progress was infuriatingly slow - he was forced to worm himself forward with his elbows, as the shaft was too narrow even for him even to extend his arms.

Still, it was a game, and the others were counting on him to win it. That was totally alphanumeric. "Well show 'em, Frisket!" he said aloud. "We can stand up to any User. Maybe we'll even get a chance to do a little damage before we get to opening that door..." The boy felt Frisket bite his foot lightly. "Ow! What was _that_ for?"

Unsurprisingly, the dog didn't respond - the only sound was a low growl. "Take it easy, Frisket. We're almost there. This it ! The T-junction. Phong said turn left, then it's the eighth grate on the right hand side..." Turning his body in the confined space was an extreme effort, but with the flexibility of youth the boy managed to squirrel himself into the side shaft. Frisket had no such difficulties.

"We'd better we quiet now, Boy." Enzo whispered. As if understanding, the dog didn't reply with so much as a whine - the only sound the youngster heard was Frisket's gentle panting. He wormed his way slowly along the passageway, counting off the grates as they appeared on his right. Every span seemed to take an eternity, and the dark closeness of the shaft seemed to be closing in tighter by the nano.

Enzo paused, feeling his breath start to come in ragged gasps. "It's fine - there's plenty of air! Don't be a null!" he hissed. This was harder than any of the other games - and there were no swordsmen, no tanks, not even an enemy team of athletes to threaten him. Only a dank passageway that seemed as if it could have been far, far beneath the ground...

Enzo felt a wet coldness on his hand, and his processor snapped backed to his reality. Frisket whined softly. "Sorry Boy!" the youngster whispered. "I'm fine... Thanks Frisket." With one more deep breath, the boy pushed himself forward again, slowly, steadily. Finally, he had reached the eighth grate.

"OK, OK, we made it." he mouthed silently, eyes closed. The boy pressed his face up against the hard, cold surface of the grate, trying to pick up any sight or sound that he could from the far side. There was only a low, mechanical rumbling echoing through the walls, however - nothing else. "This is it... Ready, Frisket?"

Quietly as he could, the boy braced his hands against the grate, securing a tenuous fingerhold along it's slatted surface. He tensed his shoulders, wished for the millionth time that he had even a fraction of the strength that Matrix seemed to take for granted, and pushed.

"With a crisp 'Clink!' the grate detached from it's moorings. For a nano, Enzo was certain it would slip from his grasp and tumble (noisily, no doubt) to the floor, but he managed to hang on by a fingernail. He gingerly shifted it into his left hand, firmed his grasp and poked his head out through the opening.

The floor was a distance perhaps equal to half again the boy's own height beneath him. A large, brightly lit room spread out before, him, a bank of machines and monitors along one wall and another tall stand of equipment in the center of the room. There were doors on opposite sides of the room - a formidable looking barrier with an instrument panel adjacent on one wall, and a tremendous metallic stronghold with an army of equipment surrounding it on the opposite. A pair of bulky red protective suits hung on the wall adjacent to the larger door. There was no sign of anyone in the room.

Enzo made a mental map of the room, storing it in his processor. The smaller door was the one he'd need to get open, somehow. The other one must lead to the core itself. ~Wouldn't want to go in there!~ he told himself. With a start, the boy realized that he was head-first in the shaft, with no way to turn around. "Hey! How am I gonna get down?" he whispered. "I can't just fall down there on my head!"

The youngster felt strong jaws clamp down gently on his foot. "Good idea, Frisket!" he whispered. The boy inched himself out of the opening and towards the floor, extending his arms as far as he could. When his hands reached the ground, he turned his head. "OK, Frisket!" The dog released his foot, and the boy ducked and rolled, neatly winding up on his feet.

"Coolness!" he mouthed silently. Frisket slipped through the vent and sprung down to the floor. Boy and dog looked around warily, but there was no sign of any other inhabitant in the room. Enzo knelt down. "I don't see anything, Boy!" he whispered. "Keep your eyes open - I'm gonna head for the door!"

Frisket growled softly, deep in his throat, and fell in a step behind the boy. They tiptoed towards the entry door, eyes darting around the room. "This is too easy!" Enzo whispered. "It's-"

"Hello, Bart." a deep, sonorous voice called. Enzo spun and looked around, desperately. Frisket growled. There was no sign of the source of the voice. The boy backspaced a step towards the door.

Finally, a tall, reedy form stepped out from behind one of the massive computer towers in the center of the room. Enzo scowled - the figure was bizarre, even by the standards of this game. A shock of red hair sprung wildly from the top of his head in all directions. He wore a blue uniform with a serial number on the chest. Strangest of all, though, were his feet. Enzo had never seen anything like them - they seemed to be half as long as his entire body!

"Well, Bart? Aren't you going to regale me with a chorus of 'Eat my shorts' this and 'Cowabunga' that?"

"Who - who are you?"

"Why Bart - I'm hurt! Surely you remember your old friend Sideshow Bob!" the man chuckled, slowly advancing on Enzo. "Bwa-ha ha ha ha !" The bizarre figure laughed uproariously for several nanos.

"What's your problem, Man?" Enzo sneered.

"Why, I couldn't be better, Bart! Although you have kept me waiting here for a very long time. It's been most tedious - I think I ran through every aria from the Romantic period in my head..."

Enzo backspaced, slowly, towards the door. This figure was strange - there was a smell, a _feel_ to him that was wrong. More than just the villain he represented in the game. "What in the net are you talking about?"

"Never mind. I weary of this body. Enough. Hmmm. You seem most interested in that door over there - I wonder why?" With a maniacal laugh, the man tensed his knees and sprung into the air, head over heels, impossibly high and far. He landed neatly between Enzo and the door.

"B-but - that's impossible! You can't do that! It's out of character!" Enzo sputtered. "How in the net-"

"I changed the rules." Sideshow Bob smiled evilly. "I think we'll end this now..."

"You can't win, User!" Enzo spat defiantly. "You never win!"

"Oh, but I don't _want_ to win, My Dear Bart!" Bob replied amiably, striding towards him. "I want _you_ to win! But first, let me give you a little hug..."

"Sic 'im, Boy!" Enzo shouted. Frisket growled menacingly and reared back to spring. Bob turned his head to stare bemusedly at the canine. "Frisket! Wait!" Enzo cried. The dog, virtually in mid-leap, crashed to the ground and whined quizzically.

Enzo squinted, staring at the strange figure. To his horror, the youngster saw a pulsing green vein throbbing on the User's neck. "Frisket - no! Stay away from him, Boy!"

"Yes, call off your dog, Boy! It will only drag this out longer than it already has. Now - come to Bob, let us end this nonsense!"

"No!" Enzo spat, scrambling away from the man and looking around the room desperately for a means of escape. His path to the door and the others was blocked by the User, and Enzo knew he couldn't allow any contact with him. Or Frisket.

"Why do you flee, Bart? There is no escape. Let me touch you, share my gift with you. Then you can win your game, and go home. Now doesn't that sound nice?"

Frisket took a menacing step towards Bob. "No, Frisket!" Enzo shouted. The dog growled in frustration. "No! Stay away from him..." The boy's hand fell to his side, searching for his yo-yo. It wasn't there - the only object in his possession a strange little sling in his back pocket. He flung it desperately towards the panel next to the door, where it tapped several buttons before clattering to the floor. The door didn't budge. "Cursors!"

"Really, Bart - do you think so little of me? Of course I've locked out the controls. Those pesky game sprites can't be allowed inside until after we've shared my gift." Sideshow Bob snickered. He strode more purposefully towards Enzo now, trying to wedge him into a corner.

Enzo backspaced away, eyes darting. Bob lunged at him, but the boy rolled out of the way, head over heels. "Frisket - the door!" he screamed. The dog leapt over to the door, looking around confusedly. He barked several times and stared back at Enzo. Finally, he plowed into the door, head first. The door didn't budge, and the dog shook its noggin, dazed.

"As much as this entertains me, I am weary of waiting." Bob sneered. "Enough!" Frisket turned away from the door, growling, and advanced on the User.

"_No_, Frisket! No!" Enzo panted. "The panel, boy! The panel!" Frisket whined quizzically. He reluctantly turned away from Enzo and eyed the instrument panel. With a shrug, he stood up on his hind legs, grabbed it in his jaws and ripped it away from the wall in a shower of sparks.

Enzo was backed into a corner, staring up at the bizarre figure that loomed over him, grinning. Over Bob's shoulder he saw the door slide open, and Matrix and AndrAIa dart into the room. "Enzo! Hang on!"

"Matrix - no!" Enzo cried as Sideshow Bob turned to face his new opponents. "Stay away from him! His neck!" Taking advantage of the User's inattention, he slipped out of the corner and dove behind Matrix and AndrAIa. Frisket spat out the remains of the control panel and joined the trio, facing down Sideshow Bob.

"His neck? What?" Matrix frowned. "Enzo - what do you mean?"

"What is this?" Sideshow Bob said softly. "Multiple Guardians, eh? Even better." His eyes locked on Matrix, and his jaw dropped. "You!"

Phong shuffled into the room, staring up at the figure facing them. "This is most strange, Children. It does not make any sense..."

AndrAIa gasped. "Matrix - look! Look at his neck!"

Matrix squinted, then his jaw dropped. "Impossible!"

"Not at all, Homer." Bob laughed. "This is a most interesting development. Come, let us all join hands in brotherhood-"

"Eat my shorts!' Enzo growled.

"Ever the contentious one, aren't you Bart? It ends now..."

"This is bizarre! It isn't possible!" Matrix snarled, herding the others behind him and backing towards the door.

"We must end the game, Young Ones - now!" Phong hissed.

"How?" AndrAIa said. The quintet of sprites had backed out into a massive pumping room, Bob still stalking them. "How can we end it - we can't allow him to touch any of us! Is this even a game? How do we win it?"

"The game sprites!" Enzo whispered. "He said he didn't want the game sprites to get inside until after he - I dunno, did something to me... Shared his gift! That's what he said!"

"Chief! He's over here!" Phong shouted. "Arrest him at once!" Bob lunged at them, and they scattered, AndrAIa grabbing Phong and pulling him behind her.

"R-right away, Mr. Burns!" the security chief stammered. A cluster of blue uniforms descended upon Sideshow Bob. "Bake him away, Toys!"

"No - you can't!" Sideshow Bob snarled, as the officers surrounded him. "I haven't finished yet!"

"Watch out! He can jump totally high!" Enzo cried. Even as he said it, Sideshow Bob coiled and sprung into the air, over the heads of the advancing officers.

"Hey! No fair!" Chief Wiggum cried.

"All's fair in love... and war_!" Bob didn't see Matrix slip behind him, a metal chair in his hand. With a terrific impact, he brought it crashing down on Bob's head.

"Dude!" Enzo gasped. The policeman advanced on the User, now lying prone on the ground.

"Sorry you had to see that." Matrix sighed. "But we had no choice... Hey! What about the bomb? The nuclear holocaust?"

"I don't think there ever was a bomb, My Child." Phong said softly. The officers slipped a pair of handcuffs on the crumpled figure. "If my suspicions are correct-"

GAME OVER

_There was no feeling like what I felt after Bob and I had won a game - nothing. It was totally alphanumeric. No matter what else was gong on, when Bob and I finished a game, and that voice said 'Game Over', everything was right. Bob and I were the whole universe. We were a team. We were unbeatable. I couldn't think of anything else I could ever want._

_Of course, when we got back to the real world I wanted all kinds of other stuff. I thought about AndrAIa and Matrix about a billion times a cycle, and every time I did I felt like I had a giant empty place right in the middle of my gut. And I thought about other stuff, too. I thought a lot about being a Guardian, and what it meant. And about how I was only kinda pretending to be one now. But none of that stuff really mattered, right after the game. Then it was just me and Bob._

_"Good job today, Cadet!" he grinned at me. "You handled yourself very well when that band of brigands attacked us. You're learning how to handle your emotions better every game."_

_"Thanks, Bob!" No matter how old I got, whenever Bob said something nice about my game playing it made me feel as big as Nullzilla. "You were pretty alphanumeric too - especially when you jumped out of the tree and knocked the knight off his horse! I thought I was gonna nullify laughing!"_

_"Hey - I know a few tricks, maybe..." I laughed, and he put on a hurt look. "I'm glad my heroic feats are so useful in providing amusement for you! After all, that _is_ my primary function..."_

_"Sorry!" I giggled. We were weaving our way through the city, back towards the Principal Office. It felt like time to open myself up to him. "Bob?"_

_"Yeah, Champ?"_

_"Um... You really think I'm doing okay in the games, right?"_

_"Sure - better every time!"_

_"Thanks! Uh - d'you think maybe sometime you're gonna make me a real cadet? Y'know - like Matrix was?"_

_He smiled at me, but I could tell he'd rather I hadn't brought it up. "There's no Academy, you know. Not until we settle things with Daemon."_

_"I know. But do you think maybe you will, sometime? I've been workin' really hard-"_

_"I know." He paused and hovered on his zip board, and I did the same. He put his arm around my shoulder. "You're doing great, Enzo. And you're getting bigger every cycle, you're hardly a kid anymore! But what you're asking - it's complicated..."_

_"I know. Matrix didn't want you to do it, did he?"_

_"No... Not really. But it's not because he didn't - doesn't believe in you. He-"_

_"That's one of the reasons he left, isn't it?" I said softly. I knew the answer, but I just felt like saying it out loud._

_"Maybe. That's complicated too. Enzo - Why don't we just keep going the way we're going, for a while? I'm teaching you lots of things, aren't I?"_

_"Sure." I tried to smile, but he could tell I was disappointed. I dunno why this was always so important to me, but it was. "I'm sorry to-"_

_"Shhh!" he interrupted me, cocking his head._

_"Whassa matter?" I whispered, looking around. We'd stopped somewhere near Level 31, where there were a lot of little alleys and old buildings and stuff. I'd always found it kinda spooky. Bob and Dot had only been letting me come here for a few seconds, and never by myself._

_"Come out!" Bob growled, using a voice he never used with me. "I heard you - I know you're there! Come out!"_

_"What?" I hissed. Bob stepped in front of me and held up his hand for silence. After a few nanos, someone stepped - no, I guess limped would be a better word - out from one of the dark alleys and into the street where we were standing._

_"Stay behind me!" Bob ordered, in a way that I knew he really meant it. I was shocked - whoever this was, he looked really terrible. He looked like he'd been a huge, strong sprite - once. But he was wasted, his eyes were all hollow, and he could barely walk. What I really noticed, though, was that he had some kinda weird, green glow about him. It made me feel all shivery, just to look at him. He was infected - just like I'd heard about!_

_"452 - It _is_ you! I had to be sure. Hadda be sure..." His voice was even worse than his looks - it was scratchy, and almost had an echo to it, like he was empty inside. Then I noticed something else - he had a keytool on his arm! A keytool!_

_"Turbo?" Bob gasped. Turbo! Of course! I'd heard the grown-ups talking about him when they thought I was asleep._

_"Yup - it's me, Bob." the ghastly figure croaked. He shuffled a couple of steps closer, and I could feel Bob tense up. I'd wrapped my arms around him without even realizing it._

_"I don't think you'd better come any closer, Turbo." Bob said softly._

_"Is that young Enzo Matrix?" Turbo said, trying to work his face into a smile. It was a horrible sight. "Enzo - how is it possible? I saw you, you were almost Bob's age..."_

_"What - why are you here, Turbo?" Bob snapped. "I don't want to delete you, but I will if you force me."_

_"You'd be doin' me a favor, 452. Believe me. But not before I give you a few things."_

_"What are you talking about, Turbo? Come with me to the Principal Office, maybe Phong can help you-"_

_"No one can help me, Son. But mebbe I kin help you." he rasped. "I can't fight it any longer, Bob. I did the best I could - and I'm one o' the last ones. But it's close - I can feel it. It's close."_

_"Turbo-"_

_"Just shut up and listen, Bob. I ain't got a lotta time." Turbo croaked. Every word he said made me shiver all over. "What happened to the Matrix boy - the other one? This fella's a backup?"_

_"He's not here, Turbo. He's gone. He's somewhere in the net-"_

_"Damn! Damn fool! Doesn't he know they've got a lock on his icon?" There was a little more force in his voice now. "Listen, Bob - you and the Matrix boy - you might be the last clean ones left. _If_ he's still clean. And it's not gonna be long before she finds you."_

_"How did _you_ find me?" Bob asked suspiciously._

_"I've known where ya were for milliseconds. I've kept it hidden fer as long as I could. But this damn virus is eatin' me alive. It's only a matter time before I'm totally gone, 452. I'd be surprised if I got seconds. And I ain't fixin' to be in the Collective when it happens."_

_"What are you saying, Turbo?" Bob sounded totally sad, now._

_"I can't do anybody any more good, Bob. I gotta go where she can't find me, ar leastwise where I can't do nobody no harm. But I'm tellin' ya - your Mainframe is hid pretty good, but she'll find ya. If I hadn't been inside, throwing 'em off the scent ever' chance I got, they'da been here already. You better be ready for 'em. You understand me?"_

_"How do I know this isn't a trick?" Bob said, taking the words right out of my mind._

_"Ya don't. But I'm gonna be gone in a nano, and you'll hafta decide. There's one more thing, 452. You'll need every advantage ya kin get. Copeland ain't gonna do me any good - not where I'm goin'. Take him."_

_"Copeland? But - I can't!" Bob protested. Somehow, I got a weird picture in my head that Bob was me, and Turbo was him. "I'm not the Prime Guardian! My codes won't allow me to carry your keytool!"_

_"Listen, Bob - you and the Matrix boy are prob'ly the _only_ ones left who aren't infected yet. That makes ya Prime in my book. If we have any chance, you're it. Take him."_

_Bob studied Turbo real closely for a few nanos, not saying anything. I had some idea that what Turbo was doing - offering Bob his keytool - was almost unthinkable. It was like the ultimate honor, kinda. "I'll take him, Turbo. Thank you."_

_"Good." Turbo sighed. He grabbed his head and fell down to his knees. Bob gasped and took a couple steps towards him. "No - that's close enough. Don't take no chances. I don't always know what I'm doin' anymore..."_

_"What _are_ you going to do, Turbo?"_

_Turbo smiled a grisly smile and looked down at Copeland. His mouth moved, a little, and I heard the keytool making little beeps and noises, like Glitch used to. I knew they were talking, weird as it was. I knew that what Turbo was doing was incredibly painful for him, and I think for Copeland too._

_Then, just like that, Copeland detached itself from Turbo's wrist and flew over to Bob. I flinched - just a reaction, I guess. Bob squeezed my hand and held out his arm. "Bob! What if it's infected too?"_

_"It's not." he smiled at me. "Keytools can't be infected by viruses, Enzo. I'll explain it sometime. Maybe after you're a cadet..." The keytool landed gently on his arm and secured itself. "Hello, Old Friend." Bob said softly. Copeland responded with a bunch of whirrs and clicks._

_We both looked over at Turbo, and at that moment I felt incredibly sorry for him. It tore my heart out - I knew what he'd just done, and what was in store for him. And I knew how brave he was. I hoped I'd be that brave, if I ever had to be. "Take good care of each other, Boys." Turbo rasped. "You listen to what 452 tells ya, Lad. He's a credit to the Collective - always has been."_

_"I will. I promise." I whispered, staring and unable to help myself._

_"Good boy. I'm glad it was you, Bob. I'm... I'm glad it was you..."_

_"Thanks. What'll you do now? Where are you going?"_

_"Away. And when I can't fight it any more, I'll do what I have to. But I can't trust myself on the inside any more. I can't go back. Now listen, Bob - be ready, ya hear me? She'll be here soon enough. And she'll do it the sneaky way, that's her style - doesn't have the stomach for a direct attack until she's sure everything's locked down. Keep yer wits about you, Boy! Understand?"_

_"Yes, Sir!" Bob said crisply._

_"Good... Yaknow Copeland can do things - stuff Glitch couldn't? Ya know that?"_

_"Yeah, I remember." Bob smiled sadly. "I remember..."_

_"Sorry." Turbo coughed. "Lotta my memory's corrupted, never sure just what's really happened any more." He turned his haunted gaze on me. "I remember askin' yer older self this, Young Fella, a few seconds ago. How about a tear? I think it's best I move on."_

_"A - tear?" I gasped. "Bob - how-"_

_"Copeland." Bob smiled down at me. "He's quite a keytool, Enzo." Bob sighed and turned back to Turbo. "Thanks, Turbo - thanks for the warning. And for Copeland. I won't let you down - I promise."_

_"See that ya don't!" Turbo snapped, mustering some actual strength in his voice. "I won't see ya again, 452. Take care o' yerself. And be ready!"_

_"I will." Bob looked down at his wrist. "Copeland - portal!"_

_I was stunned - a portal opened up right there, right in front of my eyes! Like it was nothing! It was totally alphanumeric. "Dude! That's - that's..."_

_Turbo painfully shuffled over to the shimmering sphere. "Take care o' yerself, Boy. Do Bob proud, like he did me." Without another word, he stepped through the sphere and was gone. Just like that._

_Bob wrapped an arm around me and kinda hugged my head to his chest. I knew he was feeling pretty emotional, which was weird for him. But I think what he just saw was real hard on him. "Bob - I'm sorry. Are they all - like that?"_

_"Some of them are worse, Enzo. Totally gone, now." he said softly. Suddenly, being a Guardian felt like a totally different thing. I knew I still wanted to do it, but it felt a lot scarier. We were all there was, now. And if Bob downloaded the protocols to me..._

_ _

_ _

_ _

The group of seven sprites gathered in the Principal Office clustered around Phong attentively, each with a look of weary determination on their faces. "It has been a most eventful day, Children." the old sprite said, bridging his fingers thoughtfully and surveying the group. "It gives me joy to see all of gathered together in this way. I know that weariness is upon all of you, but we must discuss the events of the cycle, while they are fresh on our minds. They could be crucial to the future of Mainframe - of all of us."

Phong turned his attention to Enzo. "My child - it was you who first discovered the User - if indeed that is what he was. Tell us everything you remember - about his behavior, his words. It could be very critical."

Enzo looked around, a little nervous to be the center of everyone's attention. "Well - it was just a totally basic game, I guess. But this guy was weird - he kept talking about sharing his gift, and about how he wanted me to win the game."

"He said that?' Bob frowned. "He said he wanted you to win the game?"

"Yeah... It was weird. I was gonna sic Frisket on him, but then I noticed his neck. He had this weird green stuff on it, and it was kinda pulsing in and out. I thought maybe he was - you know - infected..."

"How did you know about that, Enzo?" Dot demanded.

The youngster looked down at his feet sheepishly. "I listened... I heard stuff. About Daemon. I wasn't sure, but I figured that's what it was."

"Honey, if what you're suggestin' is true, then Daemon's found a way to infiltrate the games." Mouse said grimly. "Could it have just been part of the game - part of his character or somethin'?"

"It is possible, I suppose..." Phong mused.

Matrix shook his head. "I don't think so, Mouse. There was something weird about this game, right from the beginning. It was AndrAIa who spotted it, and I've learned never to doubt her instincts about games. And there's something else..."

"What's that?" Dot asked.

"I'm pretty sure he recognized me. Or at least my icon."

"He was no ordinary User." Enzo said softly. "He was different than anybody else in the game - he was better. He could jump higher, he was stronger. He was different!"

"This is bad. _Very_ bad." Bob sighed.

"What do you reckon it is, Guardian?" Ray asked. "Has this Daemon character found some way to infiltrate Users or somethin'?"

"I'm not sure. But it seems like too much of a coincidence - what Enzo described, what all of you saw in there. I don't believe this was native to the game. Somehow, some way, Daemon corrupted it."

"That's just terrific!" Dot scowled. "Why? And how?"

"The how, I have no idea. I do have a couple of ideas about the _why_, though."

"Well, let's hear 'em, Sugar."

Bob surveyed the room. "The way I see it, there are two possibilities. First, that Daemon was using this game specifically to try to infiltrate Mainframe - as a way to get past our defenses, get inside. Somehow, she knew where that game was going - or specifically directed it. For us."

"I don't like that one." AndrAIa frowned.

"Nor me, Child. And the other possibility, Young Guardian?"

"Well - this is the one that seems more plausible to me. If we assume that Daemon has somehow found a way to infect games - let's not worry about how just yet - then it makes sense that she'd see this as a perfect opportunity to spread her disease throughout the net."

"Just what exactly do you mean, Young Guardian?"

"Think about it, Phong. If this game had gone according to the way this 'User' planned it, Enzo - or whoever was in his place - was going to be infected. Then it's a simple matter of allowing the game to be lost, and when the cube lifts Enzo returns to his system - infected. He can then spread the virus through his system, while the infection leaves with the game, waiting to travel with it to another system and repeat the process."

"Dude!" Enzo gasped. "That's too wicked..."

"There's more." Bob sighed. "Not only does this present her with the opportunity to infect systems, but also any uninfected Guardians that still might be lurking out there. They're the ones most likely to be playing games - them or others who've taken it upon themselves to protect their systems. And they're the ones most likely to provide resistance to Daemon in the future."

"I don't much like the sound o' that, Guardian - but it's better than the other alternative you mentioned." Mouse sighed.

"Agreed, Mouse - if Daemon knows where we are, it's only a matter of time until she finds us. At least this way the infected game would've been random. Still - it's bad enough. But this is all speculation anyway - just an educated guess."

"If you're right Bob - there's still the matter of _how_ Daemon has infected these games!" Dot protested.

"You're right. And I don't know how. It doesn't seem possible by any means I've encountered - but then I've never seen a virus like Daemon before either. The only thing I can speculate is that she's found a way to infect the game codes themselves - some kind of bug that lies dormant until the User downloads, then infects him. Once someone is infected, they're completely in her command. They're linked."

"Do you think Daemon could have discovered our location from this game?" Dot asked worriedly.

"I doubt it." Bob smiled. "But there's no way to be certain."

"Then it would seem our best course is vigilance." Phong nodded. "Especially amongst our Guardians. In the meanwhile, there is another matter to discuss - Bob's mission to Lost Angles."

"It's past your downtime, Enzo - and you haven't even accessed dinner yet. Time to go."

"Aww, Dot - I wanna stay for this!" Enzo scowled. "You can't just kick me outta the room every time somethin' important happens!"

"No, Enzo. I want you to eat something and get to bed. You've had enough adventure for one day."

"Dot-"

"I'll take him." AndrAIa smiled. "C'mon, Guardian - let's go back to the diner and I'll fix you something."

"Thanks, AndrAIa." Dot sighed wearily. "I'll be back in a little while to tuck you in, Enzo-"

"Dot!"

"Never mind." AndrAIa giggled. "Come on, I'll tell you about some of the games Matrix and I survived while we were in the net. You're always asking me..." The game sprite led the still grumbling Enzo out of the Command room.

"Now, Guardian - perhaps you would care to fill us in on the results of your... diplomatic mission?"

"That's a good way to describe it." Bob chuckled. "The main thing is - she said she'd help us. Upgrade our defenses. But it wasn't easy..."

"How so? What did you have to promise her?" Dot scowled.

"Nothing, really... In the end she just agreed to do it. Because it would be 'fun', she said. I think she just wanted to see me try to convince her, just because she wanted to be entertained."

"I'll bet!" Dot scowled.

"There's the matter of self-interest, too - she may not want to see Mainframe destroyed by a supervirus any more than we do. I can only guess what the food chain is like for them..."

"I don't like this." Mouse scowled. "Viruses make strange bedfellows." Seeing Dot's sneer, the hacker chuckled ruefully. "Sorry Sugar - bad choice o' words. But you get my point, Bob. We tried this approach once before, if ya recall?"

"I know, Mouse. But I'm the defender of this system, and I made a decision. I think the benefits outweigh the risks. I'm willing to accept the consequences if I'm wrong."

"We'll _all_ hafta accept 'em, Sweetie - just remember that."

"Mouse-"

"Bob is right, Children." Phong interrupted. "We must accept the risks in order to achieve the reward." The old sprite looked over his glasses at Bob. "Guardian, were you able to determine anything about the - status- of our neighbor?"

"Is she still nuts, you mean!" Dot muttered.

Bob frowned. "I'm not really certain, Phong. She's different, that's for sure. More controlled. It could be a function of the mask, or her PID. But it would be a mistake to call her behavior predictable."

"That's a surprise!" Mouse chuckled. "Bob, if Hex is doin' this - 'helpin' us - you can bet she's doin' it fer her own reasons - and nobody else's. She's as slippery as a greased null."

"I agree Mouse - but there's more to it than that. In her own way, I think she has a kind of code - she owes me. She owes all of us."

"I never thought I'd say this, Sugar - but yer a damn sight too trusting fer my book. Makin' an error in judgment is one thing, but puttin' the welfare o' the whole system on the line on a judgment call - that's something else altogether..."

"Mouse-" Dot began.

"What are you saying, Mouse - that I can't make a sound judgment about the defense of the system?"

"She ain't sayin' that, Mate. She-"

"I can speak for _myself_, Honey." Mouse said evenly, interrupting her partner.

"So go ahead." Bob smiled.

"I think I said my piece, Sugar. But you're the Guardian - I know ya wouldn't do anything ya didn't think was in the best interests of the system. That's why you're the Guardian, ain't it?"

"You tell me."

There were several nanos of silence in the Command center, as each of the six remaining sprites waited for the others to shoulder the burden. Finally Phong drummed his fingers on the console thoughtfully and spoke. "As much as I share Mouse's concerns about the trustworthiness of our new ally, a decision has been made. Guardian, were you able to glean any insight as to the status of Hexadecimal's powers? Is she still, indeed, a virus?"

"I tried, Phong. She knew damn well I was doing it, too. All I can tell you for certain is that she still has at least some of her powers - she manipulated objects in a way you or I never could. Either that or she's a master illusionist."

"That is unfortunate. It was my hope that when her PID was scanned for the Reboot, her viral abilities would have vanished along with the old Mainframe."

"They may have, Old Friend. I don't know. She was cagy - and why be cagy if you have nothing to hide? She might have just showed me a bunch of parlor tricks..."

"She's cagy 'cause she wants to keep us all guessin', Guardian." Mouse grinned with a shake of the head. "All part o' her little game!"

"We'll find out when she's ready for us to find out." Dot sighed. "Not before."

"In the meantime, we shall prepare - prepare to upgrade her defenses, when she chooses to help us." Phong said, with a note of finality. "And Guardian, I trust that you will exercise extreme caution when you and Enzo enter the games, given what has come to light today?"

"Of course, Phong."

"You're still going to let Enzo go into the games with you - after today?" Matrix said softly, not looking up.

Bob glanced over at him in surprise. The big sprite had been silent so long, Bob had forgotten he was there. "I don't see why not - I'll be with him. There's no evidence yet that this viral phenomenon is widespread. Besides, he's a real help to me now."

Matrix gritted his teeth and looked up. "Bob, I really think-"

"That's enough, Enzo." Dot interrupted firmly. "We made a decision - and I don't see any reason to change it now."

"But-"

"No, Enzo. It's not a topic for debate - not right now, anyway. All right?"

Matrix threw up his hands. "If you say so, Dot. He's _your_ brother!"

Bob gently placed a hand on the bearded sprite's shoulder, and was surprised by Matrix' reflexive flinch. "Enzo, you know you're always welcome as part of the team - you're still a Guardian. We can always use your help in there."

"Thanks..."

"And thanks for taking care of things, today. With Enzo."

"What else would I do?" the big sprite grinned ruefully. "Let a little sprite go into a game by himself?"

An awkward silence hung in the room for a nano. Dot finally spoke out. "It seems like we've more or less dealt with official business - Phong?"

"Of course, My Child."

The Command.Com smiled wearily. "Since we're all here, I wanted to let you know that we're going to have a little party, for Enzo. At the diner, in three cycles, at fourteen hundred. I trust you'll all be there?"

"Wouldn't miss it, Sugar!" Mouse grinned. "Is the little tyke compilin' up already?"

"One- zero. Again!" Dot smiled. "Remember the last one, Matrix?"

"I'll never forget it. It was alphanumeric, Dot. The best."

"Yes, well - I'm not going to be doing' anything that fancy again..."

"So you will not be needing me to sing, Child?" Phong asked, sounding disappointed.

"No - well, we'll see!" Dot laughed. "I was just planning a little get-together, all of us and some food, games. I just want him to enjoy it. All of that ceremony seems kind of arrogant to me, now...."

"And don't tell him!" Bob grinned. "It's a surprise."

_I had no idea it was coming - honest, I didn't. Bob and Dot didn't let on, at all. I_ was_ lying in my room downstairs, watching Mike the TV. I hate to admit it, but I actually found him funny, sometimes. And he tried so hard - I guess you had to respect that. I knew it made him feel good if I paid attention to him for a while, and it helped pass the time. He was basically like a kid, really - I think he felt left out a lot. I kinda knew what that was like._

_Besides, I'd found myself thinking a lot about how there were no girl sprites in school, in all of Mainframe - a fact that I'd become more acutely aware of lately. That had pretty much always been true, and I always felt kinda gypped that there were_ _no other sprites my age to play with._ _But all of a sudden - especially with Andri gone - it seemed a lot more important than it had when I was a little sprite. It was even starting to effect my concentration in the games..._

_So anyways, I was watching Mike. He was showing something weird, I remember, about a bunch of binomes who lived in an apartment somewhere..._

_ _

_"Oh, Hi Russ!"_

_"Hi, Rochelle. How's it going?"_

_"Look it's 'Ronica! She's almost as gorgeous as me!"_

_"And there's Jody and Sandler! They're gorgeous too!"_

_ _

_It seemed to go on for seconds. I kinda blanked it out after a while, and I might've even been asleep - I'm not sure. But every nano after that is saved, backed-up. Fully archived, every detail. As long as I'm processing._

_Like I said, I might've been asleep, I dunno. But I remember looking up, and Bob and Dot were in my room. "Hey!" I said. "What's processing?"_

_"Hi, Enzo." Dot said, with kind of a funny, sad smile on her face. She sat down next to me on the bed, and I sat up. "Can we talk for a nano?"_

_"Can we talk?" Mike blurted out. "Take my husband - please! Oy! If I have any more plastic surgery, I'm gonna plotz! One more facelift and -"_

_"Mike!" Dot and Bob shouted. I giggled. "We'd like to have a little private talk with Enzo, if you don't mind. Go upstairs and entertain Cecil for a while."_

_"It's twelve hundred - do you know where your children are? Folks today don't take the nanos to talk to their kids - sometimes with disastrous results. That's today on Okra-"_

_"Mike!" Bob smiled evilly down at him. "Copeland - screwdriver!" That was always the magic word with Mike - he took off screaming upstairs._

_Meanwhile, I was getting a little nervous. Bob and Dot seemed pretty serious, and I was wondering if I'd done something wrong. I was used to getting into trouble, but I usually at least knew what I did. "What's wrong, you guys?"_

_"Nothing, Kiddo." Bob grinned. He sat down next to me on the bed, on the other side from Dot. "Dot and I have been talking - about the future. About you."_

_"M-me?" I was really freaked out now. "What about me?"_

_"Enzo, Sweetie..." Dot never called me sweetie unless something really important was going on. She didn't seem to be in as good a mood as Bob. "I won't tell you it was easy - an easy decision. But we think you're ready to receive the Guardian protocols."_

_"What? Really?!" I could hardly believe it - I'd thought this cycle would never come! "Alphanumeric! Coolness!" I hugged Dot, and she laughed and hugged me back._

_"So I take it you're in favor of the idea?" Bob chuckled._

_"Oh, Bob - I... Of course! I can't believe it! Thanks so much! Bob..."_

_"You're welcome." he grinned. "I'm proud of you, Enzo."_

_"We both are." Dot said, and she gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations!"_

_"Thanks! Thanks..." I whispered. I almost felt like I couldn't breathe. It was what I'd dreamed about, ever since Bob came to Mainframe. I wished I hadn't - I didn't wanna sound ungrateful - but I blurted out what was nagging at my processor a little. "Why - why now?"_

_Bob and Dot kinda looked across me, at each other. "I won't lie to you, Enzo - it's not an easy decision." Bob said. "But with what Turbo said, I want you to have every advantage you possibly can. We don't know what's going to happen - none of us do. But you're a big boy, now - I think you can handle it. And we need all the help we can get."_

_"Really? You mean - fight Daemon, and everything?"_

_"Enzo, it's going to happen sooner or later. Maybe sooner... As much as Dot and I would like to protect you, when that day comes you'll have to be as ready as the rest of us. And as for downloading you to the Academy, well - there's not much point in waiting. There is no Academy, and maybe there never will be. Not unless we fight Daemon, and win. I'm going to have to complete as much of your training as I can myself."_

_"I won't let you down!" I said, kinda dimly aware that I sounded totally dorky, but I didn't care. "I promise, Bob - I'll work really hard!"_

_"I know you will. You already have. You deserve this. But I want you to understand, Enzo - this is not something you can take lightly. You're accepting a very serious responsibility - 'To Mend and Defend'. Those aren't just words, Enzo. Do you understand?"_

_"I understand." I whispered. And you know what? I really did. If Bob ever taught me anything, that was it._

_"Good. And understand this, too. What I'm asking you to do is very dangerous, especially now. There are very few of us left, Enzo - and we're not going to go unnoticed forever. By accepting the protocols, you put yourself at risk. Do you understand that?"_

_"I understand. I'm ready. I promise!"_

_"If you're sure, Enzo. If you're sure."_

_"I'm sure!" I whispered. I thought about Dot, all of a sudden. She hadn't said anything for seconds. All at once, I could see how this all looked to her - and she was still willing to let me do it. "Dot - I'll be OK, I promise. I promise."_

_"I know..." she smiled, but she was trying not to cry. "Don't you go getting yourself deleted now - you hear me? And don't think this exempts you from doing your homework!"_

_I laughed. "OK - Promise!"_

_"I guess there's not much point in waiting any longer, then." Bob smiled. "Enzo, are you prepared to accept the responsibilities that go along with the Guardian protocols? Are you certain that you're prepared to uphold the by-laws of the Collective?"_

_"I'm ready." I whispered._

_"Good boy." he grinned. "Your icon." I reached up and took my icon off my cap, and handed it to him. Everything seemed to slow down, a thousand times slower than normal. Every nano is clear as if it just happened._

_Bob held up my icon, near his wrist. "Copelend - download Guardian Protocols, version one-zero." My jaw dropped. Copeland sent a data stream to the PID. _My_ PID. My PID, which was going to be a Guardian icon in a nano. I couldn't believe it was happening. Right here in my bedroom._

_Copeland finished downloading the data, and Bob held up my icon. It was now an exact replica of his - golden and black instead of white. He handed it to me, and I saw his arm moving in slow-motion. I reached out my hand, and he slipped it into my palm, smiling. I think he was proud - that's what I was hoping anyway._

_I sat there, staring at my hand, I dunno for how long. Probably only a nano. Dot squeezed my shoulder. "Don't just sit there, silly - put it on!" I heard her say in a husky voice. My hand was shaking, but I managed to put the icon on my chest, right over my heart. I looked up at Bob, and he winked. And it was weird, but I never felt closer to Matrix than that nano, even thought he was long gone._

_I gave the icon a turn, and I felt a rush of energy wash over me. No, not over - _through_ me. Like a reboot, only different. I looked down, and my old clothes were gone - I was wearing a blue and gold uniform - a cadet uniform. Just like Matrix had worn - just like I'd seen in that musical right after the reboot, on that basic binome that was supposed to be Matrix. Me. Whichever..._

_"Congratulations, Cadet!" Bob smiled. He saluted, and I saluted him back. He stuck out his hand, and I shook it, feeling numb. He laughed a little, and cuffed me on the neck. "Looks pretty good in that uniform, doesn't he Dot?"_

_"Oh, Enzo!" Dot whispered. She was crying now, and even though she was smiling, I knew they weren't all joy tears. I remember thinking how basic it was, that everything that made someone happy seemed to make someone else sad. I knew she could've stopped Bob from doing this - but she hadn't. And I was more grateful than I'd ever been, to both of them._

_"Don't cry!" I begged, and I hugged her, harder than I had for minutes. I never wanted to let her go. "Thanks! Thanks Dot. Thanks so much..."_

_"For what, Enzo?"_

_"For everything." It's funny, Dot was always the one I took for granted - she was always around. It was only in little flashes that I realized that I loved her more than anything, but when those flashes came I almost couldn't handle them, I loved her so much. I wish I'd told her. "Thanks for everything."_

_"Congratulations, Guardian." she whispered, and she kissed me on the cheek again and hugged me some more. Maybe I had._

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It was a gorgeous cycle, evenby Mainframe's standards. The sky above Floating Point park was a brilliant azure blue, pockmarked by puffy white energy clouds. The daisy wheels and directory trees far below were a symphony of yellow and green. The finest view of the finest view in Mainframe was had by two sprites, soaring through the perfect sky on a longboard in a lazy arc around the Point.

"Try leaning a little, when ya turn." the tall, thin sprite said to his companion. "Don't think about it so much - she knows where you want to go, just let her take you there."

"Like this?" Enzo asked tentatively, flexing his legs and tilting far to his left.

"Sorta! But not quite so much, Lad!" Ray laughed, grabbing Enzo by the waist and gently steering him upright. "When it comes to surfin', less is more, Enzo. A little pressure from the foot, a little lean - that's all it takes. She's a very sensitive instrument."

"Coolness!" Enzo grinned. He pushed down with his right foot and sent the longboard gently curving to starboard.

"That's it, Lad! Now you're gettin' it!"

"It's almost like a zip board, kinda! Only it can turn twice as fast. It's totally awesome!"

"And she can take ya places no zip board can, Son. Places you can't even begin to imagine..."

"I can imagine a lot!" Enzo said earnestly. He steered the board in silence for a few nanos, circling and looping over the park. "Ray - what's it like out there? You know - on the web. Is it totally cool?"

"Parts of it are, Lad. Parts of it'll delete ya as soon as look at ya. There's no more dangerous place, if you don't know what you're doin'. But parts of it are so beautiful they'll make you cry..."

"Wow!" the youngster whispered. "Will you show me, Ray? Take me web surfing - c'mon! It'll be totally alphanumeric! We-"

"Whoa - whoa Lad!" Ray laughed. "It ain't that simple - we're in an encrypted system here. We can't just go poppin' in and out o' the web on joyrides. There's a war on!"

"Yeah, I know... But it sounds totally cool! Maybe some cycle you can take me, huh?"

A shadow crossed the surfr's face, unseen by the boy in front of him. "Sure, Enzo. Some day. But web surfin's pretty dangerous - even in the best o' times. Better you learn how to ride a little better first, I think."

"I'm trying!" Enzo protested. "I'm not doin' too bad, am I?"

"Yer doin' great, Lad!" Ray laughed. The search engine surreptitiously checked at his internal clock. "Why don't we head on back to your sister's place - access some energy shakes? Teachin' you to surf is wearin' me out!"

"Cool!" Enzo grinned. He banked the longboard to the left and headed for Baudway.

"Now remember, everybody - as soon as they get here, hide wherever you can - under a table, behind the bar. And when you yell surprise, let Enzo really hear it! I want this place to sound like all the festival halls in the Supercomputer put together!"

"She's really in her element, isn't she?" AndrAIa said softly, grinning.

"I don't even know why Dot needs an organizer - she _is_ an organizer!" Bob sighed. "You should have seen her last party, AndrAIa..."

"Did you know the password on her organizer is 'Guardian', Bob?" Matrix smiled, scratching Frisket's ears.

"Yeah - Enzo told me." Bob replied absently. Matrix frowned, prompting a fit of giggling from the game sprite next to him.

"They're coming! They're coming!" Mike bellowed, bursting through the doors." Oh, the humanity! Oh, the spectacle! Oh, my head!"

"Mike!" Several sprites screamed.

"Hide - everybody hide!" Dot hissed, diving behind the bar.

"And where am _I_ supposed to hide, Madam?" Cecil huffed.

"Oh dear, oh dear!" Phong fretted, twirling his fingers and rolling in a circle. "Where shall I go? Where would be a good place-"

"Over here!" Bob hissed, crouched under a booth with AndrAIa. The old sprite hurriedly whirred over next to him.

"This is silly!" Matrix muttered from behind the soda fountain.

"Party-pooper!" AndrAIa taunted.

"Remember, My Child - if the party begins to slow, later - I brought my lyrics with me this time. Now let me see, where did I put them? Oh, dear..."

"Shhh!" Dot hissed. "Here they come!"

"Thanks for the surfing lesson, Ray - it was totally cool, awesome, high-res, double-sided!" Enzo beamed. "I liked it!"

"No worries, Kid." Ray grinned. "Glad to share the art with such an eager student." He reached over the boy and pushed open the door to the diner. "Huh - whaddaya make o' _that_?"

"Hey!" Enzo frowned. "Where is every-"

"SURPRISE!" a chorus of voices called out.

Enzo's jaw dropped. "Coolness! What's going on?"

"It's your birthday, silly!" Dot laughed, bouncing out from behind the bar. "Many happy return keys!"

"My birthday?" Enzo gasped. "No _way_!"

"Way!" AndrAIa grinned.

"You mean - upgrade city? Mega-new? Awesome! Alphanumeric! Double-density! But - it's not my birthday - is it?"

"It is indeed, young one." Phong said, looking resplendent in his conical party hat. "When you were restored, your upgrade history was re-set. In a few microseconds, you will be one-zero."

"No _way_! But why didn't you tell me, you guys?"

"Well - it wouldn't have been a surprise then, would it?" Bob teased. "Happy Birthday, Cadet."

"Thanks, Bob!" Enzo beamed. "This is awesome! Totally cool! So - where are my presents?"

"That's my brother!" Dot laughed. "Don't worry, we didn't forget-"

"Me first!" Mike bellowed. He skidded to a stop in front of the boy. "It's your birthday, Enzo - your very special day. And what better way to celebrate than with a heartwarming look back on how you got here? Yes, that's right - this is your life, Enzo Matrix! Do you remember this voice... 'So Enzo - I understand you have a new delivery service-'"

"Mike!" Dot sighed. "Maybe later, OK? Does anyone _else_ have a present for Enzo?"

"I do, Child." Phong said. "Here you are, Grasshopper. May it bring you many long milliseconds of enjoyment."

"Uh - thanks Phong..." Enzo said hesitantly. "Um - what _is_ it?"

"A very rare treasure, Child - a statuette of the Golden Dragon of Sinclair. It is said to bring great wisdom to all those who possess it."

"Gee - thanks!" Enzo grinned. "I could always use some wisdom, I guess..."

"We got somethin' for ya too, Angel." Mouse smiled, handing the boy a huge loosely wrapped object. "Ray an' me."

"Thanks, Mouse!" The youngster frantically ripped the wrapping off the package. "Coolness! A surfboard! Awesome!"

"I tinkered around with Ray's surfboard in the lab, Sugar - figured out how she ticked. Threw that together for ya."

"Now, that won't get ya to the web, Lad - but it'll sure do ya fine for learnin' around Mainframe." Ray chuckled. "More your size, too. Just promise to take it slow - surfin's an art, not a skill..."

"Man - this is amazing! Thanks you guys!" Enzo beamed. "Isn't it awesome, Dot?"

"It sure is!" Dot grinned toothily, in Mouse's general direction. "I couldn't be happier..."

"Happy birthday, Enzo!" AndrAIa knelt next to the youngster and gave him a hug. She handed him a small, cream colored trinket. "This is a shell, from my game. I wore it in my hair when I was a little girl. It's the last thing I still have from back then. I want you to have it - so you'll always know I'm with you, wherever either of us goes."

"AndrAIa!" Enzo whispered, blushing. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome, Sparky. Luv ya!"

"You too..." the boy shuffled his feet nervously. "Thanks AndrAIa..."

"Uh - I got you something too..." Matrix said softly. "It's so weird - seeing you compiling up like this! I remember when I turned one-zero, like it was last cycle..."

"Dude - it's totally weird, we don't even have the same birthday now..."

"Yeah. It sure is..."

"So what'd you get me?"

Matrix barked out a laugh. "Got your files in order, don't you, Sprout? Yeah, well - I'm not very good at this gift stuff, don't have much of a clue about it at all, actually. So I'm sorry if-"

"Matrix!" AndrAIa sighed, poking him sharply in the ribs. "Just give him the present!"

"Ow! OK... Well - y'know - you're always saying how you're gonna turn out just like me, and I say you're not, right? Plus, I always call you 'Sprout', and everything. So anyways - I got you this." He handed the boy a small object.

"What is it?" Enzo frowned, studying the little green shrub his older self had given him. "A plant?"

"It's a directory tree, Enzo. Just like in Floating Point Park. A sprout - a sapling. It can take almost any form when it grows up - it's entirely up to you. Where you plant, it, how often you feed it, how well you take care of it. Plus, I always thought you'd be good at taking care of something, so..."

Enzo smiled cautiously, a little bewildered by the gift. "Thanks, Enzo - oops, Matrix! Thanks. It's cool."

"You're welcome." Matrix mumbled, taking an awkward step towards the youngster. He tentatively reach out his arms, then pulled them back, and finally stuck out a hand. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks!" Enzo answered, shaking the big sprite's hand.

Matrix finally reached out his other arm and patted the boy on the shoulder. "You're welcome... Little Brother. You - you're welcome. Try not to let Frisket eat it, OK?"

"Well, Enzo - you didn't think I'd forgotten about you, did you?" Bob grinned expectantly.

"Gee - thanks Bob!" Enzo beamed, dropping the tree to the floor. "You didn't really hafta, you know. You're takin' me into the games, and everything..."

"No, I didn't have to - but I wanted to." Bob answered, crouching in front of Enzo. "I didn't want to let this cycle pass without showing you how I felt, Enzo. So I thought about what could do that. And I thought - what better way to show Enzo how I felt that these?" The Guardian whipped a hand out from behind his back.

"What are they?" Enzo gasped.

Bob slowly opened his hand, grinning. It held a pair of gleaming silver pins - a representation of a Guardian Icon and a Keytool. "These are the Order of Excellence, Enzo - from the Guardian Collective. I got them for capturing Mouse when she tried to break into the supercomputer, actually..." He cast a sheepish look in her direction.

"They give these for conduct that brings credit to the ideals of the Collective, Enzo - To Mend and Defend. I dunno if I deserved them, but I want you to have them. You're a credit to those ideals. I don't know if you'll ever have the chance to attend the Academy, but you've learned a lot already. Happy Birthday, Cadet."

"Dude!" the youngster whispered. "Thanks!" He wrapped his arms around the Guardian's neck. "Thanks, Bob! D'you mean it?"

"Sure, Tiger." Bob smiled, returning the boy's embrace. "Don't put them on, now - wait till you upgrade! And always remember what they stand for, all right?"

"I promise!" the boy beamed, staring at the glittering objects reverently. "I promise."

"Well - I dunno how I can possibly top _that_!" Dot said ruefully. "But if you're still online for a couple more presents, Enzo-"

"Sure!" Enzo beamed, taking a last look at Bob's gift and reverently setting it on the bar. "Alphanumeric party, Dot! You're the best!"

"Funny - I was gonna say that!" Dot chuckled. She hoisted her brother up and set him down on the counter, eye level with her. "My little brother..." she said softly, brushing the ever present hair out of his eyes.

"Aw, Dot!"

"Sorry!" The Command.com shared a bemused grin with Bob. "First of all, since it seems like you've got so much going on in your life all the time, now - I got you this. A new organizer."

"Cool!"

"It's the same model as mine, Enzo - the TRS-80. Top of the line - only the best for my brother."

"Awesome! Does it play any games?" Enzo grinned, tapping keys frantically.

"Yes - after it's done playing homework. And just so you don't accuse me of not being any fun - I got you a new jetball cone too." She reached behind the bar and retrieved her gift. "Just make sure you beat Bob, sometimes - if he wins, he brags for a minute!"

"Hey!" Bob scowled. "I resemble that remark..."

"This is totally alphanumeric, Dot - thanks! You're the best!"

"You're welcome." she whispered, squeezing him tightly. "Happy birthday, Little Brother. I promise to be there for every one."

"Whaddaya mean, Dot?"

"Nothing, nothing." she grinned, straightening his cap. She checked her internal clock quickly. "You ready to upgrade, Mister? It's about that time!"

"Alphanumeric!" the youngster grinned, standing on the counter. "But - what's gonna happen? I don't-"

"Don't worry, Enzo - just wait and see. OK, everybody - let's have a countdown, nice and loud! Ready? Six!"

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two"!

"One!"

Enzo could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on him as they counted down, and he was a little embarrassed. But felt himself swept away in a wave of excitement. He was upgrading, at last! One-zero, no longer a little sprite. Even Matrix would have to respect him now. And maybe Bob would even - dare he hope?

As the chanting sprites reached zero, silence fell over the diner. The youngster felt a tingle of energy around him, which settled at his feet. A small thrill of fear mingled with the bubbling adrenaline coursing through him, and he closed his eyes, held his breath.

It felt like a thousand pixels dancing all over him, from the ground up. The boy felt his hair stand on end, and a strange looseness in his muscles. The dancing energy lightly kissed his face, and then was gone. A cheer rose from the room, and he finally ventured to open his eyes.

"No way - cool!" he gasped. His old '01' jersey had been replaced by a sleeker model, bearing his name and '10' over his heart. Even more, he _felt_ different - his perspective had changed. He was taller! His voice sounded different too - everything was different. He felt more spring in his muscles, more tension in his legs.

"It never gets any easier, does it?" Bob sighed, wrapping an arm around Dot's shoulder as the parytgoers crowded around Enzo, congratulating him. Matrix hoisted the boy onto his shoulders and carried him triumphantly around the room.

"I wish I could save and quit, right here." Dot whispered, brushing away a tear. "I wish things never had to change, Bob. Why do they have to change?"

"Because that's the way life is, My Love. There's nothing you can do to stop it, so try and enjoy every nano that you can."

"Who are you - Phong?" Dot sniffled. "Since when are you such a philosopher?"

"Nothing like losing everything you'd ever think you could to make you appreciate what you had." Bob said softly, watching the merry parade. He wrapped an arm around the Command.Com's waist and pulled her to him.

Dot stared at him in silence for a nano, struck by the change in the sprite she'd known for all those long minutes. Maybe the web could do that do a man...

"Bob!" Enzo called, jerking their attention over to the counter, where Matrix had deposited the birthday boy. "Hey, Bob!"

"Yeah?" Bob laughed.

The youngster beamed and slowly, carefully, affixed the two silver pins to his collar. "Whaddaya think?"

"Lookin' good, Cadet!" Bob grinned.

"That gift of yours certainly touched him, Bob. I've never seen his face light up like that...

"It wasn't much." Bob sighed. "It doesn't take much to make him happy, you know? So little time. And I don't always take the trouble..."

"Well, what's this?" AndrAIa called out, standing over the big booth in the corner. "Looks like a nasty big birthday cake to me. Anybody wanna come over here and serve it up - Birthday Boy?"

"Cool!" Enzo bounced off the bar and made a beeline for the sweets.

"You coming, Bob?"

"Yeah - I'll catch up in a nano, Dot." Bob smiled. He leaned back against the counter languidly, watching Dot walk over to the corner to join her brother. Matrix watched the same scene from across the diner, then drifted over to join Bob.

"Hey."

"Hey! AndrAIa's really great with Enzo, isn't she?"

"Yeah... She has the patience of a saint. She'd have to, I guess, spending all those cycles with me..."

"He really loves her, too."

"He has good taste." The bearded sprite folded his arms and watched the festivities at the refreshment table for a moment. "Bob, why - why do you call him that?"

"What?" Bob frowned.

"'Cadet'. Why do you call Enzo 'Cadet'? Don't you think it's a little - I dunno - cruel - to lead him on like that?"

"What do you mean - lead him on?" Bob asked in puzzlement. "I'm just trying to encourage him, reward him when he works hard-"

"Encourage him? Encourage him to what?" Matrix interrupted.

Bob stared at him for a moment. "To work harder. To learn. To grow up. What did you think?"

"But he's _not_ a cadet - is he, Bob? And he isn't going to be one either. There isn't even an Academy anymore. So why get his hopes up?"

"Enzo may not be a cadet, Matrix, but he's still working hard in the games. It gives him something to shoot for-"

"But he's not _going_ to be a cadet, Bob! I think we all saw how well that worked out, didn't we? We're not gonna make the same mistake again!"

"Mistake?" Bob said thinly. "I guess that's a matter of opinion, Enzo. I know 'we' made some errors in judgment, but making you a cadet wasn't one of them. We-"

"Come on, Bob - let's not kid ourselves, all right? We all know what happened. Do you really want to see Enzo... turn out like I did? Is that what you want?"

"He could do worse..." Bob sighed. "Don't _you_ want him to have any dreams?"

"Dreams are dangerous, Bob. You can have them when you're a little boy, but a man can't hang on to the dreams of a child. He'll find that out soon enough."

"I'm not forcing Enzo into anything - I'm just helping him find out who he wants to be!"

"He wants to be _you_ Bob! How could he not? Look at you! How could any lonely little kid not wanna be you? How could he ever want anyone else for a hero? I sure never did!"

"Enzo, I - I don't understand. What're you saying?"

The big sprite sighed deeply and turned away. "Hey!" Enzo shouted, running up to the pair. "C'mon, you guys - you're gonna miss the cake! And we're gonna play some games in a nano. C'mon!"

"In a nano'-" Matrix began.

"Aw, just come on!" Enzo ordered. He grabbed Bob and Matrix by the hand and led them over to where Dot and the others were waiting. Bob favored Matrix with a weak smile, and they stumbled off, in tow.


	3. Chapter III

NULL AND VOID

PART III

Enzo carefullyleaned his new surfboard against the wall of his room, being careful to balance it perfectly. He wanted to be able to look at it while he was lying in bed. He picked up his jetball cone and looked around the room carefully. Finally, grinning, he set it atop his foot locker, at the end of his bed. Perfect!

The boy walked over to his dresser, carefully studying the items atop it. He rearranged the sea shell, the sapling and the little dragon, putting the dragon first on the left and then, after a nano, on the right. He picked up the dragon, stared at it for a nano, chuckled, and finally set it back down. "I don't feel any smarter..."

The youngster walked over to his bed and reached for his icon, then paused, frowning. With a half-smile, he reached up to his collar and carefully removed the two silver pins. Satisfied, he gave his icon a half turn and rebooted into his pajamas. With equal care, he pinned the medals to the collar of his pajama top and walked over to his mirror. He straightened the keytool, smiled, sighed, and bounced into bed.

The boy leaned back and picked up his new organizer. "Cool!" he grinned. "Let's see - 'Enter new password'. Hmmm." Enzo scratched his chin thoughtfully for a moment. "That's it! Alphanumeric..." He carefully began pressing keys. "A...N...D...R...A...-"

There was a knock at the door, and Enzo hurriedly set aside the pad. "Come in!"

"Hi, Enzo." Dot grinned. "All set for bed?"

"Sure."

"Mind if I come in and talk for a nano?" Dot asked.

"Cool!" Enzo smiled. "I was gonna play - er, work with my new organizer for a while anyways."

"Cool!" Dot chuckled, sitting next to him on the bed. "Scooch over, Birthday Boy. So - how does it feel to be one-zero? Any different?"

"I guess... I do kinda feel a little bigger and stronger. I think I got taller! It's weird..."

"You're all grown up." Dot sighed.

"Aw Dot - don't tease me!..." Enzo blushed. "I'm still a little kid..."

"I don't know..." she grinned, hugging him. "I think you're growing up pretty fast. I didn't want to tell you at the party, but there's something else... I thought I'd wait until the others were gone."

"What is it?" Enzo frowned.

Dot reached into her pocket. "I wasn't really sure you were old enough, but I think you can handle it. It's Dad's code key - his command codes. I think he'd want you to have it."

"D-Dad's?" Enzo whispered. "These are Dad's command codes?"

"You're a Matrix." she said softly, stroking his cheek. "He'd be proud of you. The way you're growing up, becoming a fine young man. I think you should have them."

"Really? Thanks, Dot! Aren't you, you know - worried? That I'll screw up, lose 'em or drop 'em in a data stream-"

"If I was, I wouldn't have given them to you. I trust you, Enzo. By rights, they're yours. I have my own, now. You're Daddy's son. And you look more like him every upgrade..."

"Really?" he whispered, tearing his eyes away from the key to stare up at her.

"Really!" She kissed him on the cheek. "Say - are you wearing those pins to bed - on your PJs?"

"Uh - yeah!" he smiled sheepishly. "I thought I'd - you know..."

"Silly!" she giggled. "I think you're a really silly boy, you know that?"

"I am not!" he laughed defensively.

"I think you _are_!" she smirked, tweaking his nose.

"You're the silly one!" he countered. "Some Command.Com you are!"

"Silly!" she laughed, tickling him under the chin. The youngster screamed and kicked wildly. "Who's the silly one _now_, Birthday Boy?"

"Stop!" he pleaded. Smiling, Dot relented. "Why does everyone keep _doing_ that?"

"Poor baby!" she chuckled, embracing him for a long nano. "D'you mind if I stay a while? It seems like we hardly ever have time to talk anymore. You're so busy with the games, school, all the new friends around. I've got the diner, everything else - sometimes it seems like I hardly ever see you..."

"Stay! That'd be alphanumeric." Enzo settled back in bed. "Thanks for the party, Dot - I had a lot of fun. And thanks for all the alphanumeric presents and everything."

"You're welcome. You only have one first birthday, Enzo - I wanted it to be special. Sorry it wasn't - you know, a bigger party-"

"It was perfect!"

"OK." she grinned, and they leaned against each other, shoulder to shoulder, in silence, for a few nanos. "Hey, you!" she said after a moment, tapping his chin.

"What?" he grinned expectantly.

"I love you, you know that?"

"Sure..." he blushed.

"Good! It's just - I want to tell you that. I don't often enough. None of us do, Enzo, and once the cycles are gone, we never get them back..."

"Whadda you mean, Dot?"

"It's nothing, don't worry." she sighed, tousling his hair. "I missed you so much, when you were gone. Both you and your brother. I didn't pass a single cycle where I didn't think how I'd do anything - give anything - just to see you again, just for a few nanos. And I thought I never would. And then, one day, there you were. Both of you."

Enzo blinked away a tear. "It must've been lonely. And scary. I wish I'd been with you..."

"It's not your fault. It's nobody's fault. I thought it was mine, sometimes. But it wasn't. It just happened." She took the boy's face in her hands. "You're so important to me, Enzo - you'll never know how much you mean to me. You don't need to think about it every cycle, but never doubt it. No matter what happens, I'll never stop loving you with all my heart."

"I love you too." he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. "You're the best, Dot. I'm sorry you were alone all that time. I'll never leave you, I promise..."

"I know." she sighed, holding his cheek against her own. "You don't have to promise me anything, Sweetie. I know..."

"Are you crying?" Enzo asked huskily.

"Are you?" she chuckled softly, squeezing him with all her might. "My little brother..."

"I'm not crying! I'm just tired, that's all."

"Me too." she smiled. She reluctantly relaxed her embrace and reclined back in the bed. Enzo leaned back and rested his head against her shoulder, saying nothing. After a few moments, Dot wrapped an arm around him and began humming, softly.

Enzo closed his eyes and smiled slightly, letting the soothing melody wash over him and guide him gently towards sleep. "What is that?" he whispered dreamily. "It's nice..."

"That?" Dot said softly, surprised. "It's just a little song I know. I just thought of it, for some reason..." She began singing, softly at first.

__

"There's a danger in loving somebody too much,

And it's sad when you know it's your heart you can't trust

There's a reason why people don't stay where they are,

Baby, sometimes love just isn't enough"

"Keep going?" Dot smiled. Enzo nodded sleepily.

_"Now I could never change you,_

I don't want to blame you

Baby, you don't have to take the fall

Yes, I may have hurt you,

But I did not desert you.

Maybe I just want to have it all,

It makes a sound like thunder

It makes me feel like rain,

And like a fool who'll never see the truth,

I keep hoping nothing's gonna change"

Dot smiled down at Enzo, her voice rising in tenor and pitch.

__

"And there's no way home,

When it's late at night and you're alone

Are there things that you wanted to say?

And there's a danger in loving somebody too much,

And it's sad when you know, it's their heart you can't touch

There's a reason why people don't stay who they are,

Cause Baby, sometimes love just isn't enough"

Dot took a deep breath and chuckled sheepishly. "Well... That's my career as a singer over, I guess..."

"That was real pretty." Enzo said softly. "But it's - I dunno... kinda sad, somehow."

Dot frowned. "Maybe it is... How about I sing you another one? Or would you rather I end file already?"

"No - that'd be awesome!" Enzo smiled.

"Hmm. OK, then. This is a good one - I wrote it for you. For your birthday, actually. Your _other_ first birthday."

"_You_ wrote a song?" Enzo looked up at her sleepily. "Coolness! Sing it for me!"

"Well... OK." she grinned. "Hoo! I'm a little out of practice." She hummed the tune softly for a few nanos, then started to sing in a soft, gentle voice.

_"He's all right,_

He's okay,

He's the sprite that brightens our day,

There's no doubt,

Girls you better watch out!

He's alphanumeric..."

"You wrote that for me?" Enzo grinned, perking up. "Awesome! I didn't know you wrote songs, Dot..."

"Only for very special people." she laughed. "I wrote a verse for Bob, too..."

_"You're the best,_

And it shows,

And the rest don't even come close,

Yes it's true,

There's no one like you,

You're alphanumeric..."

"Cool!" Enzo giggled.

"One more verse for the birthday boy." she smiled.

_"You're the tip of the top,_

The cream of the crop,

And I just gotta say...

"Stop laughing, you!"

__

"That it's true

There's no one like you...

Dot leaned down and gently kissed the boy on the nose, grinning.

__

You're alphanumeric!"

"You wrote that?" Enzo smiled. "You're totally cool, Dot!"

"I had good inspiration." she laughed. The youngster burrowed his head against her shoulder and yawned. Dot stretched out, getting comfortable. She wrapped him gently in her arms and closed her eyes. "Sleep tight, Little Brother."

"Love you." he mumbled sleepily, lifting his head and kissing her on the cheek.

"Love you too." she whispered, and deleted the light.

__

"Don't be so upset, Honey - you're going to miss a game here and there." Dot smiled at me. "This isn't the Academy! You've still got a life, responsibilities."

"Bob needs me, and where am I? In a spreadsheet class. Spreadsheets! What kind of Guardian am I?"

"You're a fine Guardian!" She sat next to me in the booth and hugged me. I couldn't really be mad at her - I knew she was just trying to make me feel better, but it was the worst thing she could have done. "Enzo, you're still just a kid. I'm sorry, but it's true. We agreed at the beginning that you weren't going to let this-"

"Cursors! That's the problem - I'm just a kid. Why Bob even bothers to-"

"Stop it! Compile up, Enzo. Don't start feeling sorry for yourself. You know, if you _were_ at the Academy you'd have to take all kinds of classes, not just games! Just because you're a cadet doesn't mean you put the rest of your life in permanent archive mode. Right?"

"Right..." I sighed. "I just get frustrated, that's all. I wanna help him..."

"I know. And you help him plenty. But Bob has been in a lot of games by himself, Enzo. He can take care of things on his own if he has to, don't you think?"

"Yeah." That was part of the problem. I was never sure just how much I really _was_ helping Bob. I knew he'd never say anything to hurt my feelings, so how could I tell if I was just a totally basic screw-up as a cadet?

Dot, as usual, could read my mind. It gave me the jaggies, sometimes. "Don't worry, Little Brother. You're doing great - Bob tells me so every cycle. He's really proud of how you're handling things."

"Really?" I whispered, looking over at her for the first time. Dot wasn't exactly keen to hurt my feelings either, but she'd always been pretty plain DOS with me. "Does he really say that?"

"I'd never lie to you, Enzo - never. You can believe me." she smiled. She took my face in her hands, which I hated and loved at the same time. "You're so proud, aren't you? It means so much to you..."

"Dot..."

"Sorry! I just can't get over it, Enzo. I never got the chance to watch you grow up last time, you know. Every cycle you discover yourself a little more. It's like a miracle, you're changing so fast."

"Dot!" I could feel myself blushing like crazy. She was embarrassing the data out of me.

"Am I embarrassing you?" she laughed. "I'm sorry, I'll stop it. How about an energy shake? I'll throw some java beans in it, just the way you like it..."

GAME OVER

"Cool!" I climbed over the table and headed for the door, grabbing my surfboard on the fly. "Comin', Dot?"

"Right behind you!" I heard her laughing. The cube was in sector one-one, just a few nanos away. I hopped on the board and took off. I could hear Dot's zip board right behind me. That was one of the cool thing's about Mouse's board - it was totally quiet. "Wait up!" Dot called.

"Sorry!" I slowed down and let her catch up. We took off side by side and after only a nano I saw Bob zipping towards the Principal Office. That was weird - we always went to the diner after a game, or at least to Al's if the cube hit over in that part of town. "Bob! Bob, wait up!" I shouted.

Bob looked over his shoulder and hovered, letting us catch up. "Bob, I'm sorry I wasn't in the game! I was in school, I was too far away-"

"Don't worry about that, Enzo. It's no big file." he said, starting off towards the P.O. again. "We've got other things to worry about."

"What do you mean?" Dot frowned. "Anything happen in the game? Are you hurt? Slow down!"

"I'm fine." he said gruffly. He wasn't acting like Bob at all.

"Bob? What's the matter?" He couldn't be mad at me, could he? "You're acting weird-"

"I'm worried, Enzo. Remember that game you were in with Matrix - with the infected User?"

Like I could forget. "Yeah..."

"Well, it happened again." he said with a grim smile. My stomach started rolling big time. "Almost didn't notice till it was too late - stupid of me. The whole thing was off from the first nano, after I thought about it."

He hopped off his board and we walked into the P.O. Dot and I hurried to catch up. "Bob!" Dot shouted. "What happened? Another infected User? How-"

"Yep. And that's not the worst of it, either."

"Not - the worst?" I gulped. What could be worse?

"No." Bob sighed. "It's not the first time I've seen it. Remember that game a couple of minutes ago - the 3-D chess one? You were in school then too."

"What about it?" I demanded.

"Infected. I'm sorry, Enzo - I didn't tell you. Didn't want to worry you."

"Not worry me? We're supposed to be partners!" I protested. "How-"

"Enzo!" Dot snapped, like she meant business. I shut up. "Bob didn't tell you because we thought it might be an isolated case. It's been so long since the first time-"

"_You_ knew too?" I cried. I knew I should be worried about more important stuff, but I was really hurt.

"I'm sorry, Cadet - but it's not important now. That's twice in a few minutes - I can't chalk this up to coincidence any more. It's obvious things are getting worse out there."

"That is not a good way to begin a conversation, My Children." Phong sighed as we entered the Command Center. "Was there a problem with the game?"

"Infected, Phong. Damn! I feel so cut off here - I wish we had some form of communications to the net. Haven't heard a byte since Turbo was here..."

"This is pretty serious, Bob." Dot sighed. "If the games are affected this drastically, maybe it would be better if-"

"No! Don't even think about it!" I shouted. That mind reading thing with Dot and me worked both ways, sometimes. "Bob needs my help even more now!"

"Calmness, Child!" Phong said softly, patting my hand. "Do not torture yourself over such concerns. All of our strength will be needed in the cycles ahead. Sadly, I am certain of that fact..."

"I'm sorry." I mumbled, feeling embarrassed. Every time I tried to be a grown-up, I wound up acting like a basic little kid. "It's just that I want to help, that's all. This is why I've been training, isn't it?"

"I know how you feel, Enzo. It makes me glad that I can count on you." Bob smiled at me. "Don't worry, we'll figure out a way to beat this virus. We always have before."

There was a beeping from the console, and Phong leaned over and opened a vidwindow. "Principal Office."

There were two binomes in black suits in the window, a man and a woman. I'd never seen them before, but the others seemed to know them. I saw Bob and Dot tense up. "Well - glad everyone's together." the male said in a kind of smooth mumble.

"Agent Modem. Agent Nully." Phong said softly. "What may we do for you?"

"Phong." the female answered. "We have some bad news, I'm afraid."

"What kind of news, Nully?" Bob asked, like he knew the answer.

"It seems that we've received another visit - from some old friends." the other one - I guessed he must be Modem - smirked. "I thought you should be the first to know, Guardian."

"Bob!" Dot gasped. Phong put his head in his hands. I wasn't sure exactly what the two binomes were talking about, but I knew it had to be bad - very bad.

"This is bad - _very_ bad." Bob sighed. I felt Dot squeeze my shoulder. I didn't exactly know it right then, but things would never be the same for me. For any of us.

"Well, good morning, Sleepyhead!" Dot giggled as Enzo stumbled upstairs into the diner. "It's almost nine hundred, you know! I thought you were never coming online."

"I know, I know." the youngster yawned. He slouched onto a stool and buried his head in his hands. "Man! I think I had too much birthday cake yesterday. I feel totally low-res..."

"And if I may say, Young Sir - you _look_ even worse!" Cecil huffed. "I am afraid you will scare off ze customers!"

"Give the boy a break, Cecil!" Dot grinned. "There's nothing like a junk food hangover to drain the life out of a kid - right Enzo?"

"You don't have to look so happy about it." the boy grumbled.

"You're right. I'm sorry." she replied, suppressing her smile. "I have just the cure for you - an energy shake. To go. You're late for school."

"Aw Dot - can't I stay home today? Maybe a late birthday present?"

"Sorry, Mister - you want people to treat you like a grown-up, you've gotta take care of your responsibilities." Dot grinned. She lifted the boy's chin. "Right?"

"OK, OK..." Enzo sighed, mustering a weak smile. The Command.Com handed him am energy shake and a sack lunch. "Thanks, Dot."

"You're welcome. And make sure you eat all of your lunch - you need the energy! I never thought I'd be saying that..."

"OK, see ya later." the boy yawned, standing and heading towards the door. Bob stepped into the diner just as Enzo reached the exit. "Hi Bob!" the boy grinned, perking up a little. "What's processing?"

"Not much. How's the Birthday Boy?"

"Great!" Enzo beamed. Dot rolled her eyes. The boy coughed and stuck his chest out, subtly. "Uh - what's new, Bob?"

"Not much, not much..." Bob mused. "Say - aren't those the pins I gave you last cycle?"

"Yeah! How do they look?"

"Pretty cool!" Bob laughed.

"He wore them to bed last night..."

"Dot!" Enzo blushed.

"Don't worry about her, Enzo." Bob grinned. "I'll tell you a secret..." he leaned down and whispered in the boy's ear. "When I first got my Cadet uniform, I wore it to bed every night for almost a minute!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Enzo - school? You're late!" Dot sighed.

"OK, OK." Enzo grumbled. "See you later, Bob!"

"Bye, Enzo!" Bob laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. Dot joined him in the doorway and they watched him for a nano.

"You boys and your little secrets!" Dot grumbled, poking the Guardian with an elbow. "I have a hard enough time keeping his head on his shoulders without _you_ encouraging him!"

"Hey -what'd _I_ do?" Bob protested.

"Never mind. Java?"

"Sure." he smiled, joining her at the bar. "So Enzo enjoyed his birthday party? He looked a little rough just now."

"Overdid the sugar, I think." Dot giggled, sliding a steaming mug of java in front of the Guardian. "He seemed to have a good time..."

"He liked his gifts?"

"A lot. He was pestering me to let him ride that surfboard to school for milliseconds last night. Remind me to specifically thank Mouse for that later..."

"He'll be all right." Bob chuckled. "Did he really wear my medals to bed last night?"

"Yep." Dot sighed. "He really loved them, Bob - he actually pinned them to his pajamas! It was a wonderful gesture, but I wish you'd told me you were going to do it."

"Why? Would you have asked me not to?"

"I don't know. Maybe..."

"But - why?" Bob protested. It seemed nothing he did lately was destined to please any Matrix - except Enzo. "You said yourself how much it meant to him-"

"Please, Bob - don't get defensive! I'm not criticizing. I just wish I'd known. I would have liked to have talked about it first."

"Look - I'm sorry. Enzo's been working very hard, and I just wanted to show him some encouragement. That I believed in him. If I stepped over a partition, I apologize."

"You don't have to apologize." Dot smiled, patting the Guardian's hand. "Enzo's getting more confidence in himself every cycle, Bob - and you've had a lot to do with that. It hasn't been easy for him, with no other little sprites around. I'm very grateful..."

"It's not like it's been such a terrible ordeal for me, you know. It's been easy. Enzo's a great kid - you know the two of you mean the net to me-"

"I know." she sighed. "I've tried to help Enzo develop the best I could, Bob - but it's been rough. I couldn't be like a father for him - it was hard enough to try and be like a mother."

"You've done great!" Bob squeezed her hand. "Enzo's very lucky to have you..."

"And you. And I appreciate it. But..."

"There's always a _but_, isn't there?" the Guardian moaned. "But what?"

The Command.Com ran her hands over her face wearily. "Bob... What do think is going to happen now? What's next?"

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"Sometimes I think we're kidding ourselves. Processing on borrowed time. What chance do we have if Daemon finds us? We're just a small system - Megabyte nearly destroyed us, and he isn't even a flicker in Daemon's eye. She's even infected the games now! When she turns her attention to us-"

"Stop!" Bob commanded, with uncharacteristic harshness. "You can't think that way. I fought too long and too hard to survive the web, to get back here - I'll never let Daemon win. Never. If we never give up, she'll never win. But if we give up-"

"But they're just words, Bob. Daemon has destroyed the Guardian Collective already - how can you possibly stand against her? You're only one man!"

"There's Matrix." Bob frowned. "He's a Guardian too, you know. Mouse is the best at what she does. So are you and Phong. And Enzo's learning a lot-"

"Enzo... He's only a little boy, Bob. I'm glad he's going into the games - it's building his confidence, making him a better person. But what's his future? Have you given it any thought?"

"Of course." Bob nodded. "Haven't you?"

"You bet your bitmap! But I asked you first. The medals, calling him 'Cadet' - where does it all lead, Bob?"

"You mean-"

"You know what I mean. I know there's no Academy right now, but are you thinking of downloading the protocols to Enzo?"

"I'd never do that unless you agreed!" Bob protested. "You know I wouldn't!"

Dot smiled ruefully and shook her head. "Between the two of you, you can be an irresistible force. But answer my question - are you thinking about it?"

"I _have_ thought about it." Bob admitted. "I'm trying to think of what's best for Enzo, Dot - the best way to prepare him for what's ahead. What _might_ be ahead. I want to be fair to him..."

"So do I. And do you think that means making him a cadet?"

"If there _were_ an Academy, he'd almost be of age." Bob said softly. "It's not like he's a baby anymore."

"But there isn't an Academy. In the Academy, he wouldn't have to worry about live games and viruses - not until he had minutes of training and experience. Would he?"

"No..."

"You did it once before, Bob - you made him a cadet."

"But we agreed! There was a war on, and besides, we thought the Academy was still online!"

"I know." she sighed. "So what's your answer? Knowing there's no Academy, what's best for Enzo? What if Mainframe has to go to war again?"

"I don't know. I'm honestly not sure, Dot. I do think that Enzo would be able to defend himself and the system better if he had the protocols in his code. When he's ready, I mean."

"Wouldn't that put him in more danger - if he were a Guardian? If we were attacked?"

Bob rested his chin in his hands and said nothing for a long nano. "Possibly. It's possible. But we're going to need all the help we can get, Dot. And it'd kill him if he couldn't fight, couldn't help out. He'd hate himself, and he'd hate us too..."

"_That_ I can live with." she answered softly. "So what, then - do you want to do it? Do you want to make him a cadet?"

"Dot-"

"Please, Bob - answer me."

"Dot, I... No. Not right away, anyway. He's still too young, too inexperienced. He needs to learn control, discipline. Not that he isn't getting better."

"Not now - but eventually?"

He stared at her for several moments. "Yes. Eventually, I think so. I think he deserves a chance, and I think he'll make a fine Guardian."

"Eventually... And what if Daemon forces our hand? What if everything hits the cooling fan next cycle?"

"I don't know, Dot!" Bob sighed. "_You_ don't know. You can't prepare for every eventuality. In the meantime I'm just trying to help him grow up, and be his friend. Is that wrong?"

"Of course not." she smiled weakly. "And you think you can complete his training - on your own? If need be?"

"Well - I can only do my best. I'm not the Academy, but he'll never have a teacher who cares more about him, I can promise you. We could wait forever, but there's not going to be an Academy until we settle Daemon."

Dot grabbed his hand in both of hers and stared silently ahead. Bob watched her for a moment. "Dot... what's the matter? Say something, you're giving me the jaggies!"

The Command.Com turned her head slowly and smiled slightly. Without a word, she reached her hands behind Bob's neck and drew his face close to her own. She kissed him long and passionately, seeing to draw the very breath from his lungs. The Guardian saw a cascade of pixels dancing before him, and when Dot finally pulled her lips from his, he was left panting and gasping for air.

"D-Dot! What - what was that for?" Even Cecil had ceased his rounds and was watching, slack-jawed.

"I dreamed about you, you know." she said softly. "Every night, after you were gone. Even after I'd given up hope that you were still processing, the dreams never stopped."

"Dot?"

"I love you." she continued. "I love how you're brave, and sweet, and how you always think you're doing the right thing even when you're not. I love the way you care about Enzo, how you think about him and help him and how you make him feel ten spans tall and how good it makes you feel to see him smile. I love your face, your hair, your eyes, your skin, even your eyebrows. I love you."

"I - I love you too, Dot. I-"

"I just want you to understand that, Bob. Do you understand?"

"Dot, I-"

"Do you understand?" Dot demanded, louder this time.

"Yes, of course. I understand." he smiled, puzzled.

"Good." she sighed. "That's important. Bob, Enzo and I have been alone for a very long time. He's lived almost his whole life without parents - without a mother and father. Before you came along, without even a real best friend."

"I know..."

"Bob, Enzo needs me. No matter what happens, he's always had me to depend on. Matrix didn't always, but Enzo does..." A shadow flickered in her eyes, just for a nano. "No matter what else happens, I'm going to put Enzo first. Before you, before me, before anything. Do you understand?"

"I - Of course I do..."

"Do you? Because I've never been more serious about anything in my life. I'll always protect that little boy, Bob - always. I'd do anything for him. I'd die for him. I'd kill for him. Whatever I have to do - even if it makes Enzo hate me, for a while. I can process with that. But I'm all he has, when push comes to shove. And that's always going to be my number one responsibility. I'm _his_ Guardian. To mend and defend."

Bob was a little taken aback by Dot's uncharacteristic ferocity. "I'd never do anything to hurt Enzo, Dot. You know that. Never."

"Do you understand, Bob?" Dot said, almost pleadingly. "Do you understand why this is so important to me?"

"I -I know how hard it must have been for you, all these minutes. Being his whole family. Did you make a promise, to your parents-"

Dot chuckled harshly. "I never had the time, Bob. My parents were here one nano, and they were gone the next. Just like that. There wasn't time for any long, tearful good-byes..."

The Guardian tried desperately to get inside Dot's anger, to understand it. "I'm sorry..."

"There were no promises, Bob." she said softly, staring holes through him. "My parents are dead. Nullified. They don't matter. Enzo is alive - by a miracle almost beyond miracles, but he's alive. He matters. That's why I'm telling you this, so you'll understand... My parents are dead. Matrix is a man, now - I love him, but he can take care of himself. Enzo needs me. I'll never let him down, Bob - I _can't_ let him down. Never."

"You never have." Bob whispered.

"Maybe." she laughed bitterly, standing. "Well... That's enough speech making for one morning. I have duties in the P.O. You coming?"

"In a nano." he answered. She smiled wearily and stepped through the doors of the diner. Bob watched her as she stepped onto her zip board and slowly disappeared into the distance. "I don't think Daemon had better cross Dot. I sure wouldn't want to see her if she really got her dander up..."

"Indeed, Sir." Cecil tittered, startling the Guardian. "It is a most unsettling sight, I can assure you. Now - are you going to order, or not?"

"Hey, Sparky - gimmee a hand over here, will you?"

"What?" Matrix called out.

"I need you to come in here and start Bob's car! I think I've got the interocitor problem figured out. It just needs a little more spike in the coils. Come here and start it when I tell you!"

"Aw, Andri - I'm just getting comfortable!" Matrix shouted. "You'll never get that thing running anyways..."

"Matrix, get off your ASCII and get down here!" AndrAIa called back.

The door to the apartment opened, and Enzo burst through. "Hey, Matrix!"

"Hi, Sprout. What's processing? Have fun at school?"

"Why do you call me that when you know I hate it?" Enzo sighed.

"Sorry!" Matrix laughed. "It just seems to fit, that's all. Sounds a lot like 'Sprite' when you think about it. And a little sprite like you - well, there you go. Perfect."

"Matrix!" Enzo pouted.

"Matrix, are you coming down here or not? Oh, Hi Enzo." AndrAIa walked into the apartment, carrying a wrench and a filthy rag.

"Hi AndrAIa!" the boy grinned. "What're you doing?"

"Mostly trying to get your brother to move his ASCII off the couch and help me fix Bob's car." the game sprite smiled wryly. "What about you?"

"Just on my way home from school. Is Bob around?"

"No - I think he's at the P.O." she replied. "So how's it feel to be one-zero, Birthday Boy? Any different?"

"I guess." the youngster answered, shuffling his feet nervously. "Thanks for the shell, AndrAIa - it's pixelacious! I'm gonna keep it with me, wherever I go. Are you sure you want me to have it? I mean, it's from your game an' everything. If you want me to give it back-"

"Enzo!" the girl laughed. "Of course I want you to have it. I wanted to give you something that was special to me - you know, really important. Because that's what _you_ are. Understand?"

"Sure." he blushed. "Thanks..."

"No prob. You want a shake, or something? Some chips?"

"No thanks - I'm cool."

"OK, then - I'll let you guys talk." she smiled. "I'm _this_ close to getting that car to run like a Vincent Black Lightning. Now _that's_ a motorbike!"

"What is it with you and motorbikes?" Enzo laughed.

"Funny - that sounds familiar! Stop by downstairs and talk to me before you go, okay?"

"Promise!" Enzo watched the game sprite until she was out of sight, then bounced onto the couch next to Matrix. "What're you doing?"

"Not much... Trying to relax, mostly. What about you?"

"I'm sitting here talking to you!" Enzo giggled. "Aren't these pins totally cool, Matrix? They're alphanumeric! I can't believe Bob gave 'em to me!"

"Yeah, me neither..."

"He made you a cadet, huh? That must've been totally alphanumeric!" Enzo sighed, looking at the bearded sprite's icon longingly. "I bet you never wanted to reboot out of your uniform, huh?"

"I thought I never would, I guess." Matrix said softly.

"I wish Bob would make me a cadet." Enzo frowned. "D'you think he ever will, Enzo?" It still felt funny for the boy, to call Matrix that - but the big sprite had said it was OK...

Matrix arched an eyebrow. "Enzo, that was a very tough time for... for all of us. When Bob did that, we were at war. And he thought I'd be going to the Academy. If he'd known what - what was... going to happen, he wouldn't have done it. You wouldn't understand..."

"I understand!" Enzo protested. "But I still wish he would. I'd do a real good job, I promise! I'd work really hard-"

"It's impossible, Enzo." Matrix said firmly. "Don't work yourself up over something that's never going to happen!"

"How do _you_ know it'll never happen? It might happen! There'll be an Academy again some cycle, and then-"

"OK, OK." Matrix sighed. "Maybe it'll happen. But I still don't think you should worry about it right now. Plenty of other stuff to worry about..."

"Whatever!" Enzo grumbled. Matrix could be so irritating, sometimes... The boy cast a furtive glance at his older self, then reclined back against his shoulder. "Enzo, I was thinking, maybe... You know. After it's all over, and we kick Daemon's bitmap..."

"Yeah?"

"Well - I was thinking maybe we could _both_ go to the Academy. You and me! Wouldn't that be alphanumeric? We'd show 'em something about being Guardians then! For Bob!"

"I can't go to the Academy, Little Brother." Matrix said softly.

"What? Why not?"

Matrix smiled, but looked away from the boy next to him. "I'm too old, Enzo. They don't take cadets my age. That's never going to happen."

"That's basic!" Enzo snarled. "Totally low-density! Couldn't Bob make them-"

"_No_ Enzo!" Matrix said firmly. "That's never going to happen. I've accepted it. Besides, there is no Academy and there isn't gonna be one for a long time. Probably till _you're_ too old to be a cadet. So stop driving yourself offline about it and worry about stuff you can control."

"That's not true!" Enzo shouted. "There _is_ gonna be an Academy, and I'm gonna go! You don't know everything! Why would Bob be training me if he didn't think I was gonna be a Guardian, huh? Tell me, Nullbreath!"

"Calm down!" Matrix hissed. He grasped the youngster's shoulders firmly and tried to control the emotions that were roiling through his own processor. "I'm sorry, Enzo. You're right - I don't know. Maybe there _will_ be an Academy soon. I guess it's possible. Don't get all offline on me, okay?"

"OK!" Enzo growled. "You don't know everything..."

"Neither do you! But I'm sorry, all right? Let's not fight about it. Let's talk about something else..."

"Fine." Enzo sighed. He hated fighting with Matrix. He forced himself to think about all the time Matrix had been alone in the net with AndrAIa, and how hard it must have been. That was why he was such a null - he couldn't help it. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you-"

"I know." Matrix grinned, wrapping an arm around the youngster's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Little Brother. I've been through a lot worse."

"I know." Enzo said softly, prompting a raised eyebrow from his older self. "Enzo, since Bob isn't around, and there's no game cube..."

"Yeah?" the bearded sprite asked warily.

"Can you show me some - some fighting tricks and stuff? I bet you learned all kinds of cool things out there..."

"_No_, Enzo! I thought we'd been through this!"

"But - why?" Enzo frowned. "I just wanna learn how to take care of myself, y'know, like you do-"

"No, Enzo. I only did those things because I didn't have any choice. Not because I wanted to. I don't want you thinking that's the right way to act. Whatever I did, I did to survive. It's not something I want you thinking about."

"But-"

"No buts. End file, quit program. Understand?"

"Fine!" The youngster turned away for a nano and surreptitiously stuck out his tongue. "Matrix, can I see your gun?"

Matrix groaned. "Gun isn't a toy, Sprout! It deletes people! Understand? That's a very bad thing! Very bad!"

"I just wanna see it!" Enzo protested.

"Go help AndrAIa." Matrix whispered, eyes closed.

"What?"

"Go help AndrAIa in the garage. Help her with Bob's car. She's been nagging me about if for seconds."

"All right..." Enzo said softly. He rose and slowly walked over to the door. "See you later?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Sure. See you later." Matrix answered, not opening his eyes. Enzo stared at him for a nano, then disappeared through the door.

"Are ya sure, Love?" Ray frowned. The bunk in Ship wasn't really meant for two sprites, but the hacker and surfr looked comfortable enough. Somehow, it had never been a problem.

"Pretty sure, Sugar. I'm about goin' stir crazy round here. I don't think I ever been fixed in one spot so long since I was knee high to a binome. But I ain't gonna make you do nothin' you don't wanna do..."

"I won't pretend I haven't grown fond of the place." Ray sighed. "And the people. But it's a place, Love. Places don't matter. I'm a search engine - I was gonna move on sooner or later anyway. Can't go against my programming."

"Sooner or later, huh? But I bet it woulda been later, wouldn't it Honey?"

"Maybe. But it's all data in the stream."

"I reckon." Mouse sighed. "It ain't my place to interfere here anyway, Sugar. I'm just a party crasher. And if I don't like the way things are processin', well mebbe it's time to put my talents to work elsewhere. Still plenty o' stuff needs to be done around the net, Collective or no. This is Bob's show, not mine."

"Maybe you should take a little more time - think about it." the surf said softly. "There ain't any rush, is there?"

"All the time in the world, Lover." Mouse smiled, and kissed him long and hard.

"This is totally cool, Bob!" Enzo enthused. "I've never seen game like this! Where are we?" The sky above was lit by a thousand glimmering multicolored lights, which danced merrily across the horizon. Enzo was amazed - they seemed to change before his very eyes, a hundred times a nano. "What _is_ this place?"

There was no answer. Enzo looked around , confused. Bob was with him, wasn't he? He'd been sure of it! But where was he? "Bob? Bob?"

Frowning, the boy began walking. He was startled to realize that there was no solid ground beneath his sneakers - what he'd thought was a sky above him was actually all round him, and he was a part of it. "Cool..." he whispered. "Bob? Are you here? Should I reboot?"

There was still no sign of Bob, or anyone else, but the sea of sky the youngster was swimming in was slowly beginning to change form. The glimmering lights began to coalesce into vast clouds of energy, glaring against the darkness around them. Then the darkness itself began to take on forms, shapes - a mass of writhing, gray-black tentacles, wrapping around each other in a bizarre dance.

Enzo began to feel very frightened. What kind of game _was_ this? A faint rustling sound began to fill the air around him. The boy felt himself begin to tremble. The rustling was joined by a distant, almost imperceptible sound of laughter. Enzo's breath began to come in ragged gasps as panic rose to the surface. "Reboot, I've got to reboot!" he mumbled, reaching for his icon.

It was gone! The boy ripped off his cap, searching desperately, but the icon was absent - vanished without a trace. "No!" Enzo gasped. Frantically he searched his body, to no avail.

"You won't find it - Boy." a low voice said from behind him. "You will have no identity here but what _I_ say you shall."

Enzo cried out in fear and spun. There was only darkness behind him. "Bob!" he shouted desperately.

"You won't find _him_, either." the voice chuckled, again behind him. "You're alone here. Boy - just as I've been for all this time. Alone in this void. I'm sure you'll grow used to it..."

Enzo spun again, panting desperately. A tall, muscular figure emerged from the darkness, teeth glinting in a disdainful grin. "Thought yourself rid of me - didn't you, Boy?"

"No!" Enzo screamed. "No! It's not possible!"

"But is _is_, Child." the tall figure in blue smiled. "I see you've taken to playing the games. Very good. It will only serve you into my clutches that much faster."

"No..." the youngster whispered. "You're deleted! They told me so!"

"Is that what they told you, Boy?" the virus chuckled, circling the child thoughtfully. "No, I'm merely waiting. Waiting for you."

"W-waiting?"

"But of course. I've sent you beaten to the net once - I can certainly do so again. I can afford to be patient."

"B-but - but that wasn't me! It was him!" Enzo protested.

"Indeed. You can't seriously believe there's a difference, can you Boy?" Megabyte laughed. "You are mine, Enzo Matrix - just as you have always been, just as you always will be. Go ahead, play your games, even put on a fancy uniform if you like. It makes no difference. Convince yourself of your skill. Tell yourself you're a Guardian. You'll only be laying down at my feet that much sooner! And your little dog, too..."

"No!" Enzo screamed. "No - it's a lie! I beat you once, and I'll beat you again! You'll never win!"

"Oh, bra-vo!" Megabyte chuckled. "A fine performance, Boy! Most convincing. Have your fun, while you can. I'll be waiting. I've been waiting here for a very long time. But Bob won't be around to protect you forever, will he? You never beat me, Boy - you can't beat me. Not even the ones that told you those outrageous lies believe you can. It's only a matter of time."

"You're wrong!" Enzo panted. "You must be! You were deleted! You're not real..."

In a flash, the virus shot out his right arm and grabbed the boy by the front of his shirt, lifting him, kicking and struggling, off the ground. "Oh, but I _am_. Your time will come, Matrix. Then it will be _you_ who waits in this hell for eternity - after I send you here. Where will your Bob be to protect you then? Eternity is a long time, Boy..."

Laughing, the virus lifted his left arm and extended a single claw. "Heh heh! Keep playing your games, Boy - just like before. I'll be waiting! In the meantime, it would be rude of me not to leave you something to remember our little encounter..." Megabyte brought his talon in a sweeping arc towards the boy's eye.

"No!" Enzo screamed, with all his might.

"Enzo! Enzo, what is it? What's the matter? Enzo!"

"Nooo...." Enzo wailed, flailing in the grip of his captor. Something held him down. "Let me go! No!"

"Enzo! It's all right! It's me, Enzo! Calm down!"

"What?" Enzo gasped, disoriented. The voice was familiar, it wasn't Megabyte's at all. He felt two arms close around him.

"Shhh!" the voice whispered. It was Dot. "You just had a bad dream, that's all. You're fine, Sweetie. I'm here."

"Dot?" Enzo whispered, opening his eyes to his darkened room. A dream... He heard himself sob once. ~_Don't cry - don't be a little sprite!~_ "I'm f-fine, I'm OK..."

"I know. It was just a dream." Dot said softly, rocking him gently in her embrace. "It must have been a doozy - you're shaking like a leaf!"

Enzo relaxed, sunk into his sister's arms. He felt his breathing gradually slow. "Thanks, Sis. I'm fine, thanks. It was just a dream..."

Dot smiled down at him in the dusky light. "Feeling better?" Enzo nodded. She gently lowered him back into his docking bay, brushing the damp hair out of his eyes. "Do you think you can get back to sleep? Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, I'm OK." the youngster said, smiling weakly. With a start, he bolted upright and reached for the top of his head, and felt only hair there. "Where is it? Where is it?!"

"What? Where's what? What's the matter?" Dot hissed in alarm.

Enzo's eyes darted about the room desperately, finally falling on his cap, hanging on the bedpost behind him. He grabbed it and clutched it to his chest. "I'm fine. I'm fine..." he panted. "It's OK."

"Are you sure?" Dot frowned. This was all very strange... "Do you want me to stay a while? You're still a little upset-"

"No!" Enzo said, relaxing as he clutched his icon in his hands. "Thanks, but it's OK. I'm fine." What kind of future Guardian Cadet needed his big sister to stay with him after a bad dream?

"If you're sure..." Dot said dubiously. Enzo smiled weakly up at her. With a puzzled smile of reply, she kissed him on the cheek and stood. "Good night, then. Are you - are you going to keep your cap in bed with you?"

"Yeah." Enzo answered. "I just kinda feel like sleeping with my cap tonight."

"If you say so." she sighed. Boys were so strange, sometimes... "You're sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for staying with me, Dot."

"You're welcome." she smiled, starting for the door. "Good night."

"Dot?"

"Yes, Enzo?"

The boy smiled sheepishly. "Could you, uh... Could you leave the door open?" Dot nodded and left, shaking her head. Enzo sighed and lay back in bed, closing his eyes, still holding his cap to his chest.

__

We were in the Command Center - Bob, Dot, Phong and I - when the vidwindow opened. It made me feel terribly guilty, but I'd never been more excited in my life. All the cycles of waiting, planning, being afraid - and now, finally, we were going to face our enemy down. I knew, in my heart, that between us we could never lose to Daemon. She didn't know what she was up against, but _I_ did. Bob, Dot and Phong - I knew how smart and brave they all were. I knew what they'd survived before. I only wished the others were there, with us.

The other reason I was so excited was that they weren't even trying to kick me out for the good stuff now. Maybe it was because the others were gone, and they didn't have any choice - I'm pretty sure it was. But hey, I was a Guardian - I had the protocols, the icon. I had Bob's training, and I was going to be fighting at their side. User forgive me, but it's what I wanted. I was such a stupid little sprite...

Anyways, like I said the vidwindow opened. It was Hex. Just seeing her made my circuits boil. I knew what she'd done to Bob, to all of us. I knew she couldn't be trusted. Maybe the others had forgotten, but I never would. And now she was supposed to be helping us?

"My, isn't this lovely!" she smirked. "Our dedicated core of defenders, hard at work to stave off the viral invasion. And what's this - a new Guardian in our midst? They're letting you eat at the grown-up table now - how sweet! You look just darling in your uniform, Love!"

"Get deleted, Hexadismal!" I blurted out. User help me, but she made me mad!

"Enzo!" Phong scolded. "This is not the time-"

"Oh! Ho ho, ha ha!" Hex laughed. "Where's that Guardian discipline I've heard so much about, Bob? Aren't you recasting the child in your image?"

"I was wondering when we might be hearing from you, Hex." Bob smiled. As always, I was totally jealous of the way he managed to stay cool no matter what was going on. "I suppose you're aware the city has been infiltrated?"

"So much for your help!" I sneered.

"Of course, Boys. It's only through my generous assistance in helping you upgrade your pathetic defenses that it's taken so long for them to break through. But what to do now, hmmm? That seems to be the question of the cycle. Apparently your answer would be to allow the system to be overrun and all of you to be converted to viral codes-"

"Hexadecimal!" Phong snapped. "We have already expressed our gratitude to you for your previous assistance. But if you have nothing productive to add to this discussion-"

"Tsk! Temper temper, Old Sprite! You cannot begin to know the workings of the viral mind, for all your pompous pretensions. I shall be much more effective in saving all of our bitmaps if you scurrying rodents don't get in my way. But it is all a delaying action, I fear. How very sad..."

"What do you mean, Hex?" Bob asked sharply. "A delaying action?"

"My dear, sweet boy!" the virus cooed. Every word made me hate her more and more. Didn't she know how serious this was? "Your pathetic little attempts to repel Daemon's stormtroopers from Mainframe are a mere pittance - even in the unlikely event that they succeed. I know that you are all mere sprites - but surely even you can see that?"

Both Bob and I started to snap a reply, but Dot help up her hand and we were quiet. It was amazing, but when she was in her real Command.Com mode she was like a totally different sprite. Even Phong was a little scared of her when she got riled. "Hexadecimal, we're all here trying to save this system - again. Against odds that I'd rather not stop and process. And you don't seem very interested in helping. What are you suggesting - we roll over and let Daemon have the system unchallenged?"

"My Dear Dot - that's the first intelligent thing any of you has said!" Hex laughed. I looked over at the others, but they were as confused as I was.

"What exactly are you saying, Virus?" Phong said softly. "If you believe that Daemon will show mercy on you because of some sort of kinship-"

"Mercy? Oh ho ho ha! Ha haaaaa ha!" Hex screeched. "Thank you, Old Sprite - I needed a good laugh..."

"Hex-"

"Mercy is not a quality possessed by viruses, my silly fools." Hex smiled evenly. "And as for 'kinship' - I should think my _dear_ brother and I should have long ago disabused you of any notion of that!"

"So _what_ then?" I shouted. "What do you want us to do - nothing? Just sit here and do nothing? You'll be just as deleted as the rest of us, Hexadismal!"

"Aren't you precious!" she grinned. "Your acolyte is correct, Bob! And a child shall lead them..."

"What are you saying, Hex?" Bob snapped. "Enough games! The point?"

"What's this? Enough games? And you the brave Guardian warrior! Very well, I shall clarify what should already be obvious - you cannot defeat Daemon's forces, Children - they are too numerous, too powerful. If you should beat them back now, they shall only return in tenfold strength the next time."

My heart fell. She was right! What chance did we have? I tried to fight it, told myself that giving up was just what Hex wanted me to do. "How did they find us, Hex?" Bob asked. "How did they get in - do you know?" There was a hint of accusation in his voice.

"My Dear Boy - through one of your games, of course. A mere few cycles ago, when you won one of your silly games, you brought the virus back with you!"

"What?" Bob snapped. "But - how? Unless - one of the binomes was infected by the User?"

"Of course, Darling. Couldn't be simpler. After that, it was just a question of sending a call for reinforcements and unlocking the door from the inside."

"Damn! I should've been more careful!" Bob growled. "That's a rookie mistake..."

"How did she know about the infected games?" I protested.

"I know many things, Little Spritelet. More than you ever will, I can assure you. And as much as I am enjoying your efforts to entertain me, I weary of these explanations. So I'll be refreshingly blunt - Daemon's control is extensive - she already dominates most of the net. Your precious Collective was only the hors' d'oeuvre - she is preparing to dine on the main course now."

I still didn't really understand what was going on, and I was furious to see the effect Hex was having on Bob and Dot. Was that all she wanted - to destroy our confidence, make us quit? Why?

"If you know so much, why haven't you shared the information with us?" Dot demanded. "If you aren't helping Daemon-"

"It must have slipped my mind, Pet. I'm telling you now. And I'll offer this advice for free - if you want to beat her, you must destroy her. You cannot battle the symptoms, Fools - they are killing the patient. You must fight the disease."

"Fight - the disease?" Phong frowned. "You mean - Daemon herself?"

"A gold star for you, Old Sprite! There's hope for you yet!"

"But - _how_, Hexadecimal? Just how are we supposed to do battle with Daemon? She isn't even here!" Bob snarled.

"My Dear Boy - how many systems have a virus of my genius working on their behalf? You just leave that to me!" Hex cooed. She started laughing, and she kept laughing for nanos. It was one of the scariest sounds I ever heard.

Bob had sensed something was bothering him - Enzo knew it. Why not, he'd been acting totally low-res for cycles. Even the game hadn't been able to shake him out of his funk. As if that weren't bad enough, he'd messed up in the game, too - nothing major, but he could tell Bob had been disappointed.

"Wanna stop at Al's and get a shake?" Bob asked him as they zipped through level 31.

"Naw - I'm cool." the youngster replied, forcing a smile. "Let's just head back, OK?"

"Sure, Champ." Enzo knew that it was coming - they _always_ stopped off for a shake after the game. Bob was probably getting pretty worried. "Enzo, is something bothering you? You hardly seemed to enjoy the game at all. What's the matter?"

"Nothin', I'm fine." the boy sighed, as Baudway came into view in the distance. He knew Bob only wanted to help, but he wished the Guardian would let it drop. How could Bob help him - how could he ever admit to Bob that a bad dream had taken him offline? That he was still seeing it in his head, cycle after cycle...

"Whoa, there." Bob grabbed him by the shoulders, practically pulling him off his zip board. "What's your hurry? I think we should talk, don't you?"

"Sure." Enzo smiled weakly. "I'm sorry, Bob - I know I slipped up today. I won't let it happen again, I promise..."

"Hey - no big deal." Bob grinned. "You know that whatever's bothering you, you can talk to me about it - right? You know I'm gonna be here if you need me?"

"Sure. Thanks, Bob."

"So what's up? If you're worried about that game today, don't think I'm mad at you or anything-"

"Naw - I know." Enzo said softly. "I'm cool, Bob - I promise. Maybe I'm just a little tired from my birthday and stuff..."

"That was cycles ago! Listen, Kiddo - if we're gonna be partners, we're gonna have to be honest with each other."

"Sure." ~I wonder what he'd say if I asked him about making me a cadet...~

"Good." Bob said softly, staring directly into Enzo's eyes. "Now, listen - whatever's bothering you, I'm here to help - but only if you'll let me. But you need to remember - in a game, one little slip-up can get everybody deleted. That means if you have a problem, you have to leave it outside. I want to help you, but if you don't want to share, that's your choice - you just can't take your problems into the games."

~How could I even think about being a cadet? He's right!~ Enzo mused bitterly. ~I'm still a little baby!~ "I'm sorry, Bob! I didn't mean to-"

"Hey! I don't need an apology." Bob chuckled. "Don't feel bad about it, Tiger - just let me know you understand what I'm talking about."

"I understand. Promise."

"Good. Everybody makes mistakes. We all have bad cycles. Just try and make sure you're totally online when you're in a game - with _or_ without me. Got it?"

"Sure." Enzo nodded. "I'm really sorry..."

"I told you - no sorrys!" Bob grinned. "Just get a little better every cycle - that's all I ask. And you haven't let me down yet - I'm sure you aren't gonna start now."

"Thanks, Bob!" Enzo smiled.

"Sure. Now - you wanna talk about what's bothering you, or not?"

Enzo sighed. He _did_ wanna talk about it, he realized that now. He _needed_ to talk about it - but Bob wasn't the right sprite. Not this time. "Thanks a gigabyte, Bob - you're the best! But I just need some time by myself and I'll be OK."

"You sure?" the Guardian frowned.

"I'm sure. Thanks, Bob. And I'll be totally high-density in the next game. I swear - sprite's honor!"

"OK, Kiddo." Bob sighed. "You're the boss. C'mon, let's go down to the P.O and see your sister..."

"Are the firewalls in place, Child?"

"They're locked and loaded, Phong - for all the good they'll do us." Dot sighed. "I wish Hex would get off her ASCII and help us if she really plans to go through with it..."

"I am certain she will, Child - if only for her own amusement." Phong frowned. "I believe that Bob was correct - our viral neighbor may very well be bored, with no brother to feud with."

"I'm not reassured. And where's Mouse? She's better at this sort of thing than either of us. You'd think she'd be here with bells on as soon as we go under the hood and start tinkering."

"Indeed, Young Dot. Ah! Our Guardians have returned from the fields of battle. I trust all went well, my friends?"

"Couldn't be better, Phong. Pretty routine." Bob nodded.

"Welcome back, you two." Dot smiled. She repressed a frown when she saw Enzo - he still didn't look right. She knew him better than anyone. "You two got back here awfully quickly."

"Enzo was in a hurry - couldn't even tempt him with an Al's shake." Bob chuckled. He met her glance over the youngster's shoulder and shrugged.

"Not thirsty, huh?" She walked over to Enzo and ruffled his hair. "Are you feeling all right? Seems like your turbo switch has been off for days-"

"I'm fine!" Enzo said, a little irritably. "Thanks, Dot..."

"Sure?" The Command.Com put a palm to Enzo's forehead. "Your cooling fan seems to be working all right..."

"I'm fine." he sighed.

It was odd - usually, Enzo told her when he had a problem. They'd been each other's sole support system for so long, there were few secrets between them. ~Maybe he's just getting to that age.~ she thought to herself. Still, she didn't like it a bit. "How was the game - good?"

"We won." the youngster smiled weakly. "It was cool..."

"Cool." A flash of inspiration struck her. "Enzo, are you still upset about the other night-" She stopped, as the boy shook his head almost imperceptibly and looked pleadingly at her. She knelt next to him. "What is it, Enzo?"

Enzo leaned close to her nervously. "Don't tell Bob about that, OK? Please?" he whispered.

"Enzo-"

"Please!" he whispered. "Just don't mention it, okay?"

"OK." she whispered back. "Promise. Even though I think it's silly." He smiled in relief. "So you're OK?" she said in a normal voice.

"Yeah. Um - is Matrix around? I thought I might talk to him for a nano."

"He's helping out at the Diner."

"I think I'm gonna head over there. See you guys later." The boy waved to the others and headed for the exit.

"Bye, Enzo." Bob frowned. When the boy was out of earshot, he turned to Dot. "What was _that_ all about?"

"It's nothing. He's a little upset about something, but he doesn't want me to talk about it." Dot sighed. "He'll be fine."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Phong asked, bridging his fingers contemplatively.

"No, it's no big file. He'll be all right." Dot smiled. "Thanks."

"I wish he'd talk about it." Bob sighed. "It's not like him to keep stuff bottled up like that."

"He's getting older... He's just not going to come to me all the time any more. I've got to get used to it." Dot said softly. "You know, it's strange. It seems like whenever Enzo is upset about something, Matrix is too - have you noticed? He hasn't been exactly high-res lately either."

"Not so strange I think, Child." Phong mused.

Enzo felt the familiar churning in his stomach as he approached the diner. It was weird how Matrix always brought out opposing feelings in him, all at once. He was a little afraid of him, even still - yet sometimes he felt more at home with the big sprite than anyone - even Dot. He found himself angry at him and sorry for him, all at once. And he hated him sometimes, even at the same nano that he loved him. It was weird...

The fear was winning out as the boy entered the diner. He knew Matrix would be mad, and that was a little scary. But there were things he had to know. For once, he was glad to see that AndrAIa wasn't around - it would make things easier. Matrix was behind the counter, polishing the shake machine and humming to himself.

"Nano, nano, nano, nano, nano, nano, nano, nano, Codemaster..." The big sprite looked up. "Oh, hey, Bro. Haven't seen you for a couple of cycles. What's processing?"

"Not much." Enzo forced a smile, sitting down at the bar across from his older self. "Helpin' out Dot, huh?"

"Well, she works hard." the big sprite grinned, giving Enzo's cap a spin. "Besides, it's not like my services are in great demand..."

The youngster frowned at that remark, but pressed on, anxious to do so before his nerve gave out. "Cool. Uh - can we talk, for a nano? Man to man?"

Matrix raised an eyebrow. "Sure - if you want. What's on your mind?"

"In the kitchen?" Matrix frowned, then shrugged. The boy lithely hopped over the bar and followed the big sprite inside the galley. "Cecil can handle the diner for a nano..."

"OK. What's up, Kid?" Matrix asked, leaning up against a refrigeration unit.

Enzo pulled up a stool and sat across from his twin. "Thanks, y'know, for talking to me. It's just that there's been something kinda on my mind. I was hoping we could talk about it."

Matrix was a little taken aback by the boy's uncharacteristically somber tone. "Are you all right, Enzo? Are you in trouble or something?"

"Naw, I'm not in trouble. For a change." Enzo giggled. He struggled for the right words, but none came. He felt the fear building in him again. Matrix was just so _big_! And that temper...

"So what is it then? You know you can tell me anything..."

"Thanks!" Enzo sighed. All or nothing... "Enzo, I need you to tell me about... you know. What happened..."

"Whaddaya mean?" Matrix frowned. "What happened?"

"Yeah. To you..."

"What happened to _me_? What do you mean?"

"All of it. The game. You know - _the_ game. With Andri. And your eye, and-"

"Enzo!" Matrix snarled. "That's none of your concern!"

"Please!" Enzo pleaded. "I want to know. I _need_ to know! I have to know what it was like, how it felt. It's important..."

"You don't want to know, believe me!" the big sprite said in a low voice.

"I have to!" Enzo protested. "I can't tell you why, but I just know it's important. Please!"

"This is stupid!" Matrix growled, starting for the door. Enzo sprung to his feet and grabbed his arm with both hands. "Let go!"

"_Please_ don't leave!" Enzo begged. "It's _me_, Matrix! I need to know! You can tell me, it's OK-"

Matrix shook his arm free, nearly causing the youngster to lose his balance. "What do you know about it? You're just a little kid! How could you possibly understand?"

"Fine - I'm a little kid. But I _can_ understand! Gimme a chance!"

Matrix clenched his fists, trying to restrain his anger. "You don't know what you're doing, Boy. You don't know what you're talking about. Just drop it!"

"No! I won't!" Enzo shouted. "_You_ don't understand! It's _my_ life too! I need to know!"

"_Why_ do you need to know?"

"I just _do_, OK? I have to know what it was like. What it felt like. I have to know! I have to understand what it was like in the net, in the games-"

"Games, games, games!" Matrix sneered. "Is that all you care about, Boy? Your life is here - your family is here! You'll lose them to the games if you keep this up! Can't you understand?"

'Tell me!" the boy pleaded. "Tell me what happened to you! Why you - why you changed..."

"You...don't... want...to... know!" Matrix growled. Enzo took a step back, in spite of himself. "You're stupid, Boy - just like I was! You're gonna make the same stupid mistakes I did all over again!" Matrix advanced towards him, glowering.

"N-no!" Enzo quavered. "I'm not afraid of you! You'd never hurt me-"

"You don't know what I'd do, Enzo. You're making a very serious mistake. Just drop this right now and never bring it up again-"

"I'll never drop it. I have to know. I have a right to know! I'll bother you, bug you until you tell me-"

"A right?" Matrix laughed bitterly. "You're nothing but a backup, Kid - what right do you have to demand anything from me?"

Enzo recoiled and blinked back a tear. With a furious effort of will he pushed back the ones that threatened to follow it. He locked eyes with the big sprite and wouldn't let go. "I know I'm just a backup. But I'm here. And I want to know what happened. Please - tell me!"

Matrix shook his head angrily and said nothing for several nanos. Finally, he banged a fist on the refrigeration unit, hard, causing the boy to jump. "You want to know, huh? Do you?"

"Yes." Enzo whispered.

Matrix strode over to him and shot his arms out. Enzo flinched and closed his eyes, but didn't move as the bearded sprite grabbed his shoulders roughly and knelt next to him, on one knee, his face close enough so that Enzo could feel every breath. "I'll tell you, then. I was a little kid, just like you. Bob was gone, and Megabyte was laying waste to the whole scragging system. I was the only defender we had, and I was so stupid I thought I could handle it. Wanna hear more?"

Enzo nodded silently. "Fine. I won a few games, nothing too difficult. Thought I was real tough. Then I got into a real game, against a real User. I lost. You know how? He took a steel blade and he gouged my eye out. You wanna know how that felt?"

"N-no..."

"It felt like every fire from hell sticking straight into my brain. That's how it felt. I could feel my eye running down my cheek. The you want to know what happened? He reached down and he crushed my head. He ripped it completely off of my body. I didn't feel much of that, not after the first nano. But AndrAIa had to see it. She had to watch it happen...

You want to understand? It might have well have been my heart. I wished he'd killed me. If AndrAIa and Frisket hadn't been there I wouldn't have bothered switching to game sprite mode - I would have died right then. How do you like it so far?"

"M-Matrix..." Enzo whispered. The tears were coming unchecked now.

"Well, I didn't die. But I wished I had. I failed everyone I loved. Because of me Mainframe was wasted, and AndrAIa and Frisket had to spend their lives game-hopping just to survive. Dot was all alone, and she thought I was dead. I cried every cycle, for milliseconds at a time. For minutes. That's what it was like. And that was only the beginning."

"I'm s-sorry! I d-didn't know-"

"You wanna know about game-hopping, too? That was a treat - going from system to system, sometimes I had to play the same deleted game thirty times before I could get out of it. Knowing that my home and my family were being destroyed, and I couldn't do anything about it. Couldn't even get back home. Didn't even know if there'd be a home to get back to. And I did it for longer than you've been alive - how's that? Cycle after cycle, game after game. Over and over and over and over and over-"

"Stop!" Enzo sobbed.

"And then there was the guilt, Enzo - living with what had happened. Thinking every day about how I'd failed everyone I loved and doomed them all. Doomed them all by my stupid cockiness. My arrogance, thinking I was a real Guardian when I was just a weak little boy."

"Stop!" Enzo pleaded again. The big sprite kept his fierce grip on his shoulders.

"Don't you want to know about what I did out there, Enzo - what I did to survive? Don't you want to hear about the sprites I deleted? Don't you want to know about the times I walked away from people who needed help? Don't you wanna know about how all grown-up I was?"

"Please, stop! You're hurting me..."

"What - you've had enough - already?" Matrix laughed bitterly. "Well, you just had to listen to it, Boy - I had to _live_ it! But you had to know, so I told you. So you can just keep doing what you're doing, playing games. But just remember there's consequences to it, Enzo. And don't think Bob's always gonna be there to protect you. That's what _I_ thought! Don't let him try to tell you it can't happen..." The big sprite had tears on his own cheeks, now. "Don't let him try to tell you..."

Enzo could barely see, and he felt his chest heaving as he tried to control his sobs. "That's horrible!" he whispered. "I'm sorry, Matrix!" He reached his arms out blindly, found Matrix's neck and fell against him. "I'm sorry. It wasn't your fault..."

The bearded sprite angrily wiped his cheeks and stared down at the top of Enzo's head, resting against his shoulder. He could hear the boy's muffled sobs. His hands didn't seem to know what to do with themselves, alternatively reaching for the youngster, then pulling back, clenching into fists and unclenching.

"You d-did the best you could." Enzo rasped. "You tried your best, didn't you? Bob didn't-"

"Just stop!" Matrix hissed. He gently but firmly pushed the boy away from him. "You shouldn't mess with things you're not ready to handle, Enzo. It's dangerous for a little boy to think he's a man. Don't kid yourself." He stood and strode towards the door.

"No! Don't go!" Enzo cried. The big sprite paused for a nano, then departed, leaving Enzo alone in the kitchen, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "Matrix!" he screamed, as loud as he could, startling the few patrons scattered though the diner. But the big sprite was gone.


	4. Chapter IV

NULL AND VOID 

PART IV 

__

"I still can't believe we're doing this!" Dot sighed. "We're putting the future of Mainframe on this plan, Bob - and Hexadecimal thought of it! Do you know what that means?"

"More like the future of the entire _net_." Bob smiled grimly. It was all making me feel very scared. It was weird, but I kept hoping a game cube would drop. I knew we didn't have the time, but I just wanted something I could get my processor around - something simple. Just me and Bob and the game. No plans or sacrifices or viruses...

"Well, _that_ makes me feel better." Dot grumbled, poking Bob in the ribs. Even now, they were still Bob and Dot. Some part of me still believed that as long as they were here, nothing really bad could happen.

"How are the preparations progressing, My Children?" Phong asked, whirring into the room. 

"Well enough, Phong." Bob said. "It should be a simple enough matter to route essential system control to the field command center. Isolating the core, though - that's going to be a tall order. I wish we had some expert help with this..."

"What if we rigged it - set it up so we could take it offline right before we trigger the trap?" I blurted out. "Would that shield the core energy from the explosion?" I thought it was probably a dumb idea, but I was feeling pretty useless.

"Actually, that's a very good idea, Enzo." Dot smiled. "That was our first thought - but we haven't been able to figure out how we're going to isolate the core controls. If we lose those, the core itself is useless."

"And Hex is no help there." Bob added. "Not exactly her area of expertise. Megabyte was always the mechanically inclined one..."

"We stand to lose so much, Young Ones - even if we succeed." Phong said softly. "So much that we fought so long and hard to regain..."

"I know, Old Friend." Bob sighed. "But Hex is right - there's no way to stop Daemon, now - her influence is too widespread. I guess I've known it all along - I just never wanted to admit it to myself. The only way we can help all those who've been converted is to destroy her. We're doing it for the net."

"Tell me again just how this is gonna work, exactly." I frowned. The whole thing still sounded pretty basic to me.

"It is simple, Young Guardian. Hex will download a low-level virus - think of it as a vaccine, yes? - into the central computer. The virus will mimic the structure of Daemon's infection. Only essential functions will be isolated - the rest will be under control of the virus. The city itself will be under it's command. It will appear to her as if it has been safely secured, and her attack force will send messages to that effect."

"And Daemon will come here to survey her conquered territory." Bob added. "The whole city will be under viral control. She'll feel secure. That's when we spring the trap."

"In theory." Dot grumbled. "It's a good theory. I don't like theories - I like facts. And we're going to be risking the lives of everyone in Mainframe on a theory."

"It's our only chance." Bob sighed. "If we destroy Daemon, we free all of those under her control. Hopefully."

"Or they might just all die." Dot whispered.

"No!" I gasped. "It'll work - it has to work..."

There was a crackle of static from the main console. A vidwindow opened, but there was so much interference that it was impossible to see what was on the other side. "Come in, Principal Office! Come in..." a voice said through a haze of static.

"This is the Principal Office!" Phong barked. "State your name and function at once or face deletion!"

"A girl goes away for a few nanos and everything goes to hell!" the voice said. My jaw dropped.

"Mouse?" Dot exclaimed.

"It's me, Sugar!" We still couldn't see her through the interference, but it was definitely her voice. "Lower your shields - we're gonna be on top of ya in a few nanos! And we brought a friend..."

"A - friend?" I gasped.

"She could be infected." Bob said softly. "It could be a trick, you know."

"There is still no indication that the full attack force has arrived." Phong mused, studying the console. "We could risk lowering the shields for a few nanos..."

"If it really _is_ Mouse - she could hack through the shields anyway." Dot said. "Even if she were infected, she'd still have Mouse's skills."

"It's Mouse!" I said firmly. "That's her - I'm sure of it!"

"Lower the shields." Bob sighed. "We'll just have to risk it..." Dot reached for the controls and lowered the shields.

'Thanks, Honey!" Mouse's voice said. "I'm in! I'm gonna head for bay seven, you copy that?"

"Copy." Bob answered. "Raise the shields."

"Let's go, then!" Dot sighed. She smiled at me and patted my shoulder, and took off at a run towards bay seven, the rest of us close behind her. Well, except for Phong, who really can't move very fast. I knew how he felt - it was nice, finally having legs long enough to almost keep up with Bob and Dot.

We got there just as Ship was coasting inside. We all gathered around and waited as the ship hovered, then touched down. Dot was wearing her gun, I noticed. And Bob had Copeland, of course. But it was still scary - what if she was infected? Would either of them have the stomach to nullify Mouse? When I thought about it, I knew they would, if they had to. And that was almost scarier. I wondered if _I_ would.

The door opened and Mouse stepped out, Ray immediately behind her. They looked a little ragged and tired, but it was definitely them. No doubt about it - no trace of infection. I think I grinned like a little kid, but I'm not sure. I heard Phong roll into the room. "Mouse." Bob smiled. "Nice of you to drop in."

"Looks like my timing was pretty good, Honey." she smiled wearily. She raised an eyebrow when she saw my uniform.

"Mouse! Ray!" Dot laughed, running up and hugging them. "It's good to have you home, Mouse. We could really use your help."

"We picked up a little something along the way." Ray smiled, and another figure stepped off Ship behind them. I caught a glimpse of long blue-green hair, and golden skin.

"AndrAIa!' I shouted. Parts of the next few nanos are a little blurry. I remember running up to Ship, blowing past Mouse and throwing my arms around Andri. I think I might've almost knocked her over. I remember how it felt like the perfect nano, seeing her again when I thought I never would. Like a gift. I remember hugging her as tight as I could and just saying her name, over and over. Just loving how she felt, and smelled, and how she sounded when she laughed.

And I remember that she was definitely laughing, kind of a warm sound like a data stream flowing. I remember her smoothing the hair on my head and I remember her patting my back. "Hi, Enzo. I told you I'd come back, didn't I?" she whispered. "Shhh. It's all right..."

"I missed you!" I said, and I remember hoping that I wasn't crying.

"I missed you too, Love." she smiled at me. "You've grown so much I hardly recognize you! And you're a Guardian now! Congratulations!"

"Oh! Yeah! I'm a cadet!" I was blushing, I'm sure. Everything that was going on, and dumb little Enzo was excited that AndrAIa saw him in his uniform.

Dot and Bob walked over, and Dot put an arm around me and AndrAIa. She was smiling, but I remember thinking that she looked sad, and I couldn't figure out why. "AndrAIa, thank the User you're all right. We've missed you around here. But-"

Then it hit me, like a ton of data. How could I have been so stupid? "Matrix! Where's Matrix?" I cried.

"We lost him." Mouse said softly. I heard Bob swear, and all of a sudden I couldn't breathe. Somehow, Dot and I found each other and just kind of held on. They'd lost him?

"Enzo?" Dot said softly, tapping on the door to the boy's room. "Mind if I come in?"

"Sure." the youngster answered. The Command.Com entered to find her brother lying back with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

"What're you up to?" she smiled. "You went to bed without me having to force you!"

"Just thinking." Enzo answered softly, sitting up and sliding over to give his sister room.

"Thinking about what? I wish you'd tell me what's wrong, Enzo. It's obvious that something's bothering you-"

"It no big file. I'm cool."

"Not going to wear your medals to bed tonight?" she asked softly.

"Naw - it's silly." he sighed. "Besides - they're Bob's medals - not mine."

"He gave them to _you_, though. Because you earned them. By working hard. Enzo... you aren't still upset about that dream the other night, are you? It's just you and me now..."

"Nah."

"What was it about?" Dot prodded gently. "Maybe if you talked about it, it would help you feel better. You think?"

"I told you - it's no big file."

"Was that what you talked to Matrix about?"

Enzo was amazed, yet again, by how little he could hide from his sister. "Yeah... Sorta."

"Enzo, Enzo..." Dot sighed, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. The boy winced noticeably. "Enzo, what's the matter?"

"Nothing." he mumbled, looking away. "I'm fine."

"Come here." she commanded, turning his head to face her. "Let me see your arm."

"No! I told you, I'm fine-"

"Enzo!" she gasped, rolling up the sleeve of his pajama top. "What's wrong - how did you hurt this? This is a nasty bruise!"

"It's nothing..."

She repeated the process on the boy's right sleeve. "On this shoulder too! What happened? Tell me, Young Man!"

"I dunno. I musta fell down at school or something..." the boy said weakly.

"Were you fighting, Enzo? Hmmm. These look like-"

"Yeah - I was fighting. I'm really sorry, Dot. I'll never do it again, I promise! Can I go to sleep now?"

"Tell me the truth, Enzo." Dot said firmly. "Someone hurt you, didn't they? Who was it? Did it happen in a game?"

"Aw, Dot!" Enzo squirmed. "It's no big file, I promise. It doesn't even hurt! Can't we just forget about it?"

"Not likely!" She took the youngster's face in her hands. "Enzo, someone hurt you and I want to know who! If it happened in a game, why didn't Bob protect you? I'll just ask him tomorrow if you don't tell me-"

"It wasn't in a game!"

"Well - what then? That's even worse! Was it someone at school? Was it a teacher? I'd better go down there next cycle-"

"It was Matrix." the boy said softly.

"What?" Dot gasped. "Matrix? How? Why?"

"It's not his fault! I did something, made him mad. It was my fault-"

"Enzo, are you telling me that Matrix hurt you? _He_ did that to you?"

"Yeah... But-"

"Oh, Sweetie!" Dot hugged the youngster to her. "How did it happen? Tell me this nano!"

"Look... It was all my fault, okay? He didn't mean to do it, I just - I dunno. I got him mad, and he grabbed me, and he doesn't know how strong he is-"

"There's no excuse for that!" Dot fumed. "No excuse! I can't even believe it - how could he do that to his own brother? You're not even half his size!"

"Dot, please! Don't say anything, I'm fine." the boy pleaded.

"Don't _say_ anything?" Dot replied, flabbergasted. "How could I not say anything?"

"Because I'm asking you!" Enzo begged. "He didn't even know he was doing it, that's all. He doesn't know how strong he is - he thought he was just talking to me. Only I got him mad, and he just kinda grabbed me..."

"What did you do to make him mad?" Dot prodded. "What could make him so mad that he'd hurt you like that?"

"I can't tell you." Enzo said softly.

"Can't tell me? Enzo, you don't expect me to accept that answer? That just won't cut it, Mister! I'm supposed to be looking out for you - protecting you. Remember?"

"I know..." Enzo whined. "It's just - it's kinda between Matrix and me. It's special. I know it's basic, but I don't want anyone else to know about it. Lemme deal with it myself, OK? Between him an' me."

"Enzo... What you're asking me-"

"Please?" he whispered. "It's important. He didn't mean it, I promise. Just lemme deal with it myself, OK? I'm big enough to take care of myself now..."

"Oh, Baby!" Dot sighed, hugging him again. She kissed the boy on top of the head. "Why do you do this to me? Why do you drive me offline?"

"I can't help it, I guess. Just trust me, OK?"

"Oh, Enzo..."

"And don't be mad at Matrix, Dot. It's not his fault. He does his best. He can't help being a null, sometimes."

"Enzo..." she sighed again. "This is really that important to you?"

"Yeah - totally!"

"All right... But I'm keeping a close eye on both of you, you hear me? And if anything like this happens again-"

"It won't. I promise!" Enzo answered earnestly. "Thanks, Dot. And don't be mad at Matrix, OK? He didn't mean anything."

"Oh, I'm sure he didn't, Honey." Dot chuckled bitterly. "We'll get a med-gun for you tomorrow, all right? And if anything like this happens again-"

"It won't!"

"All right, then..." The Command.Com started down at her brother's face, shaking her head. With a weary smile, she kissed him on the nose. "Get some sleep. And try not to worry about that bad dream, OK? Dreams can't hurt you, right?"

"Right." he smiled, lying back in bed. "Thanks, Dot. Night."

"Good night." Still shaking her head, she deleted the light and left the boy alone with his thoughts. She slowly walked back to her own room, shaking her head. Matrix - hurt Enzo? She wouldn't have thought it was possible.

With a weary sigh, she sat back on her bed and picked up her organizer. "Bob? Bob, you still awake?"

"Hi, Dot." the Guardian grinned. "What's processing?"

"Are you alone?"

"Alone?" he frowned.

"Yeah... Are Matrix and AndrAIa there?"

"No. AndrAIa's downstairs in the garage, and I don't think Matrix is here. I'm not sure where he is..."

"We need to talk." she said softly.

"What's the matter?"

"I'm not sure..." she frowned. "I think there's something going on between Matrix and Enzo, Bob. They're fighting, or something."

"Fighting? They've both been kinda low-res the last few cycles, but I thought they were getting along pretty well. Did Enzo say something?"

"I thought so too, Bob. But Enzo's... upset. About something. And he says he wants to deal with it himself, with Matrix. I'm not sure what's going on."

"He hasn't been himself. Nobody has, lately... D'you have any idea what it might be?"

"Bob, do you think- do you think..."

"What?" he prodded.

"Do you think Matrix could ever... _hurt_ Enzo?"

"Hurt him?" the Guardian asked, surprised. "What in the net do you mean, Dot?"

"I'm not sure. You know how Enzo is, Bob... He can be - trying, sometimes. And Matrix isn't the most patient sprite in the net. He's got a temper..."

"I don't think Matrix would ever knowingly do anything to hurt Enzo." Bob frowned. "Why would you ask, Dot? What's going on?"

"It's nothing, I'm just being overprotective." she sighed. "Bob, could you come over for a while? I'd love some company..."

"Sure, Dot." he smiled hesitantly. "You sure you're OK?"

"Fine." she smiled weakly. "But you'll come over - and stay?"

"Sure, not a problem. Gimme a few nanos and I'll be right over."

"Thanks, Bob." She broke the link, leaving the room in silence. 

__

"That oughtta do it, Sugar." Mouse said, crawling out from under the console. "Although I still think I'm crazy for even helpin' y'all try this stunt..."

"Well, thank the User you're here, Mouse - I'm not sure we could have figured it out ourselves." Bob smiled, clapping her on the back.

"You are certain that the core controls have been isolated, Young Mouse?" Phong said. He was twiddling his fingers in front of him like he always did when he was nervous. "We will be able to restore control after the explosion?"

"You got it, Phong. The entire core control unit is in a stasis field. After the big bang, ya just reassert command from the field command center and initialize the startup. Couldn't be easier."

"So much we will lose, Children." Phong sighed, looking around him. "So much..."

"It's only a building, Old Friend." Bob said. "We can rebuild it. As long as we can save the core, we can start over. This is the only way we'll be able to process without having Daemon hanging over our heads."

"And get Matrix back." I added. Dot smiled and put her arm around me. She'd been awfully quiet - I knew she was thinking about what she'd have to do in a few nanos. It probably didn't help to bring up Matrix, either. He was out there, somewhere. Infected. This was our only hope to get him back - if he was still processing.

"Hope you're right, Honey." Mouse sighed. "Hex is right about one thing - things've sure gone ta hell in a caddy out there. The idea of bein' rid o' Daemon once and for all sure sounds pretty good."

"He's right." Bob said. "This plan will work, if we play our cards right." He winked at me, looked around the control room. Maybe for the last time. "Dot, I don't see too much else keeping us here..."

"You're right." she said softly. She reached for the controls and opened a vidwindow. "AndrAIa? Ray?"

"Right here, Dot." AndrAIa answered.

"Is everything ready?"

"Ready, Commander. Everything's in place."

"Right. See you at the bunker. Gavin?"

Another window. "Aye, Lass. T'is me." He didn't look happy.

"We're ready here, Gavin. There's not much point in you sticking around any longer. Get your people and the Lusty Wench out of here while you can."

"By the code, Miss Dot - I beg of you, let us stay and fight! You can't beat these virals at their own game-"

"No, Gavin. We can't beat them by fighting. There's too many. This is the only way. Now get your people to safety, and we'll see you at the victory party."

"If you command it, Dot, I will go. But-"

"Thank you for everything, Captain." Dot smiled. "Clear sailing."

"Clear sailing, M'lady." The window closed.

"One more call..." Dot sighed. "Hex? Hex, you there?"

"Why Dot - how splendid you look! Have you been working out?"

"Spare me, Hex. We're ready to move out here. Is the Trojan virus ready for launch?"

"Why, Dot! Surely you don't think I've been spending my seconds here baking biscuits, do you?" Hex laughed. "I am prepared for the download."

"Fine. Give us until eleven-fifty, than engage. And good luck."

"Your concern is _so_ touching, Dot. You'll be pleased to know that the attack force is here - right on time. Now you be certain and take good care of my Darling Bob, won't you?"

"Are you sure you won't join us at the bunker, Hex? It seems like it'd be less risky-" Bob said.

"Trust me, Love. And don't do anything I wouldn't do." The window closed, and Hex was gone.

"I guess that's it, then." Dot sighed. "We'd best be getting to the bunker while there's still time."

"You will - make the announcement, Child?"

"Of course, Phong." I remember thinking that Dot looked older than I'd ever seen her. I knew how rough this was for her. "You go on ahead. I'll make the announcement from here and meet you at Ship."

"You sure, Dot?"

"I'm sure, Bob. You go on. I'll be right there."

"Right. Come on, Boys - let's not drag this out any longer than we hafta." Mouse sighed.

"I'm staying." I said.

"Enzo?"

"I'm gonna stay with Dot, Bob." I'd been pretty much useless, up to that point. I wasn't any technical genius, so I could barely help with the preparations. No one had asked for my help with strategy. But my sister was gonna do the most difficult thing she'd ever had to do and I was damned if I was gonna leave her to do it alone.

"Sugar, why don't you just come along, now-"

"It's all right, Mouse. Let him stay." Dot smiled. Mouse and Bob nodded, and they took off, towards the landing bay. "Thanks." Dot whispered.

"It's gonna be fine." I said, not really sure if I believed it. "You'll see..."

"I know." she mouthed. Her hand reached for the control panel and froze there. She couldn't bring herself to do it.

I tiptoed over and grabbed her other hand. It was a weird time to notice, but my hand was almost as big as hers was, now. "Dot... I know you're scared. But you wouldn't do anything you didn't think was right - I know it. You're gonna save the city, just like you always do. They'll understand. We all believe in you."

She took a deep breath. She squeezed my hand and smiled at me. "I still can't believe how grown-up you are. My little brother... You ready?"

"Yep."

She let go of my hand and I stepped back a couple of paces. She cleared her throat and pressed a button on the console. "Attention, citizens of Mainframe. This is Commander Dot Matrix at the Principal Office. Viral forces have invaded Mainframe. I repeat - viral forces have invaded Mainframe. We do not have sufficient forces to repel the attack. Therefore, I am urging all citizens to surrender unconditionally. I repeat - I am urging all citizens to surrender unconditionally..."

"Sparky? Is that you?" AndrAIa whispered.

"Yeah, it's me." Matrix answered, slipping into the darkened room. "Did I wake you up?"

"Where in the net have you been?" the game sprite hissed. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Not really." Matrix sighed. "I've just been walking, that's all. Sorry if I worried you..."

"What's the matter with you, Enzo? You're acting weird- even by your standards! What's going on?"

"Thanks a lot." Matrix grumbled, crawling into the docking bay next to her.

"Where've you been all day?" AndrAIa frowned. "Is something the matter?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions..."

"How about an answer? If something's bothering you, Enzo, I wish you'd let me know-"

"I had another fight with the kid today." the bearded sprite sighed.

"But I thought you guys were getting along great." AndrAIa protested. "Weren't you?"

"He just knows how to push my buttons, Andri. It's not his fault..."

"Well, it's no big deal, is it Lover? I mean - brothers fight all the time. Or so I've heard, it's not like I ever had one."

"It's more than that." Matrix said softly. "He got me really mad, Andri. Like I wasn't sure I could control myself. And I think - I think I might've gotten a little rough with him..."

"Rough - what do you mean?" she hissed. "You mean you hurt his feelings, right?"

"Well - that too. But I - I grabbed him. Hard. And I didn't even realize, at the time - but I think I hurt him. A little."

"Oh, Enzo!"

"How do you think that makes me feel?" Matrix snapped. "It makes me feel like a damn fool. Like I could ever really change..."

"Don't say that! I'm sure he's fine, Lover. You're just upset-"

"He's just a little kid, Andri! What kind of a person am I to be around a little kid? He doesn't know any better, he's all over me. He _likes_ me! He thinks he's helping me, by the User! The kid thinks he's helping me and I could break him in half like a memory wafer!"

"Oh Matrix - don't be so low-density!" AndrAIa protested. "I'm sure Enzo's fine. You just scared him a little, that's all. And it wasn't on purpose, you said yourself-"

'That's just _it_ Andri! Even if I didn't hurt him, you know... You know. I sure as hell hurt his feelings. And scared him. And that was no accident - it was on purpose! I even enjoyed it - it felt good, delete it!"

"What... what did he say to you? What started it?"

"Does it matter?" the big sprite sighed, running a hand over his face. "He wants to know everything, Andri, that's all. He doesn't understand what happened to me. To us, I mean. He doesn't know when to stop pushing. He didn't mean anything, and I practically scared the data out of him. He was crying, and I didn't stop. I kept right on going..."

"Well... You shouldn't have done that." the game sprite sighed. "But I'm sure Enzo is all right. We'll go check on him tomorrow. And it's not like you'd do it again - you know you were wrong..."

"It's more than that." Matrix threw his legs over the edge of the docking bay and sat up, head in hands.

"What do you mean, Lover?" AndrAIa whispered, sliding next to him.

"It's never gonna stop - don't you see? He's always gonna be looking at me, wondering what it's gonna be like. For him. He's gonna think everything I did - everything I do - is something that he'll do too."

"Well - it's strange, I admit..."

"It's not fair to Enzo, Andri. He deserves a chance to live his own life, doesn't he? And he's gonna see me, every cycle, and think that his future is already decided. He's gonna think _I'm_ his future. No kid should have to think that!"

"Enzo's proud to have you as a brother! He looks up to you-"

"He shouldn't!" Matrix snapped. "I've done terrible things, AndrAIa. You know it and I know it. Who's to say I won't do more-"

"_I__say!" the girl barked. "This isn't the net, Lover - this is Mainframe. Everyone here loves you. You're a different person, now - anyone could see it. Remember that cycle, at the park?"

"Yeah - _that_ cycle. Today I scream at him and make him cry and maybe worse..."

"Give it time, Enzo..."

"Why am I here, Andri? Enzo doesn't need me. He's better off without me. Bob and I barely talk - he knows I don't like the way he - you know. What he's doing, leading Enzo along..."

"Don't start _that_ again..."

"And Dot. What about Dot? She still can't even be alone in the room with me. She doesn't know what to say!"

'What are _you_ saying, Enzo?" the girl sighed wearily. "Every time I think you just might be happy..."

"This isn't home, Andri. I'm kidding myself. Enzo's a little boy trying to pretend he's a man, and I'm a man trying to pretend he's a little boy. How sick is that? I ought to get out of here and let him alone. He deserves his own life. He deserves better than to be my backup! Every cycle I'm here just reminds him of it..."

"Enzo loves you." AndrAIa said softly. "If you left, it'd just kill him. You know that, don't you?"

"He needs to grow up sooner or later." Matrix said in a low voice. "He needs to understand what life is really like-"

"Like _you) did, you mean?"

The young man stared at her for a long nano. "What about _you_, Lover?"

"What _about_ me?"

"You know." he said insistently.

"My home is with you, Sparky." the game sprite sighed. "Even with a broken heart. That's not a matter of choice anymore."

"I don't know what to think. I don't know what I'm saying..."

"Come on to bed. Things will look better in the morning." she prodded gently, grabbing his hand. "Come to bed."

"All right." he sighed, allowing himself to be pulled down next to her. He felt her soft kiss on his cheek, on his neck, on his lips. He reached out an arm, pulled her head to his chest and held her close to him, desperately, needing her touch, feeling the sting of a tear on his cheek.

__

I was trying very hard to keep up with what was going on, but it was hard. There were sprites and binomes running around everywhere, alarms going off, Mouse and Dot and Bob and Phong yelling at each other, trying to keep things organized. As for me, I was just trying to pretty much stay out of the way, and keep Frisket with me. He was the only other one who really didn't have anything to do. Here I was - the big Guardian hero - standing off to the side with his dog.

Of course, looking back, I could delete myself for not taking advantage of every microsecond, every nano. For not knowing how precious they were. But how could I know? Like I said, I was just trying not to get in the way. AndrAIa came over a couple of times and talked to me, but I knew she was just trying to keep my spirits up. Not that I really minded at the time.

None of us really wanted to think about what was going on at the surface, I guess. We all knew it had to be pretty grim. I think it was hardest for Bob and Dot - they wanted to fight, they didn't want to give an inch. They didn't want to see one binome converted. And now they had to sit down here and wait, while it was all happening outside. As hard as it was for me, I knew it was worse for them.

So most of those few cycles in the bunker are kind of a blurry mess in my head. I knew Bob and I were both in game sprite mode, so Daemon's forces couldn't get a lock on our icons. I knew that Hexadecimal had downloaded the Trojan virus onto the central computer, and according to Mouse it had pretty much done what it was supposed to do. I knew Phong had checked and rechecked the control overrides, to make sure they were working. And other than that, we were pretty much waiting. The six of us and Frisket, and a handful of other essential personnel from the P.O., crammed into that little command bunker, somewhere under the city. Mike was out there. So was Cecil. Even Modem and Nully. Thinking about them made me feel strange all over.

The other thing I remember from that time is that I hated being underground. I never liked being underground, especially in cramped places like that bunker. I missed the P.O. - the tall ceilings, and the viewscreens, and all the room to move around. The bunker made me nervous, and I think I had kind of a stomach ache for the whole time we were in there. I don't think I ate more than seven times a day.

Then it all changed.

I remember the exact moment - it was like somebody threw a switch. The first part of my life was over. It was when Mouse said, "I've lost the link to the trigger mechanism!"

I snapped to attention then. I guess everybody did. "What?" Bob said. "When?"

"Just now, Sugar. It was there one nano, then it was gone. I've got no way to remotely set off the trap now."

"Have the other controls gone offline, Child? Have we been discovered?" Phong asked. We all crowded around the control console.

"I don't rightly think so, Phong. I've still got override on all essential functions. The stasis field around the core is holding. I've just lost the deleted remote trigger!"

"This is bad - _very_ bad." Bob said. For some reason, it annoyed me when he said it.

"What are our options?" Dot asked. "Can you restore the link, Mouse?"

"I dunno, Honey. I can try to isolate the fault, maybe... If the problem's on this end, I might be able to fix it. But it'll take time."

A vidwindow appeared, and Hex's face was staring down at us. I noticed she wasn't smiling. Or sneering, or baring her teeth. She just looked serious. "How nice to see you all together. Are you enjoying your slumber party?"

"We don't have time, Hex." Bob snapped. "There's a problem with the trap. We're trying to isolate it-"

"You have even less time than you think, Dear Boy. Daemon will be entering the system in a few milliseconds."

"Cursors! You've got to get to that trigger, Mouse! Phong, help her!"

"Of course!" Phong tittered, wheeling to Mouse's side.

"It ain't gonna happen, Guardian!" Mouse said. I didn't like the tone of her voice. "There's no way I can get that error isolated and fixed - even if I _can_ fix it - in a few milliseconds. You're gonna have to buy us some time."

"There _is_ no time, Sprites!" Hex said irritably. "My little ruse may have fooled her drones, but Daemon will spot it within a few microseconds. You will only get one chance! If you squander it you will never have another!"

"We're going to have to spring the trap ourselves. From the inside." Dot said softly. I felt like Matrix had punched me in the gut.

"What? No, Love!" Ray said. "You know what you're sayin'? If one of us gets caught in there-"

"You heard her. We only get one chance. One chance to rid the net of her evil before it becomes so entrenched it'll never be defeated. We have to do it."

"I'll go." Bob said. "Copeland-"

"No!" I shouted.

"He's right, Bob - you and Enzo are the only clean codes left. If this doesn't work, you have to survive."

"It's me, then." Mouse said, standing. "I set the blasted thing, I may as well fix it."

"No!" Dot shook her head. "You try and fix it from here - if you can, you can recall me."

"You?" Bob gasped. "No, Dot-"

"Someone had best do something soon, Loves." Hex said impatiently. "Daemon isn't going to wait for an invitation."

I should have said something - I should have protested. Not that it would've done any good - I knew Dot. But I still should have, and I would've, but I couldn't even breathe. My body felt like it was shutting down.

"That's it, then. I'll go." Dot said firmly. "I'll go on a simple zip board - force wouldn't work anyways. I'll sneak past them and use my command overrides to access the P.O."

"Honey, how in the net you gonna get outta there - even if you _can_ get in?" Mouse demanded.

"Is that all you're worried about, Sprites?" Hex sighed. "The simplest of tasks. I shall distract my cousin and her drones for a few nanos with some smoke and mirrors..."

"You can't trust her!" I spat.

"I don't think we have much of a choice." Dot said gently, smiling at me. "The future of the entire net is at stake."

"You set the thing for a delay, Sugar - ya know how?" Mouse ordered. Dot nodded. "Give yerself at least sixty nanos ta get out of there. Ya got me?"

"Got it." Dot nodded. She spun on AndrAIa and Ray, who were about to protest. "Don't even bother! We don't have the time. I'm the Command.Com of this system. And there's absolutely no advantage to more than one of us putting ourselves at risk."

"Dot, you can't do this - not alone!" Bob hissed, grabbing her hand. "I'm coming with you-"

"No, Bob - not this time." Dot smiled. She smiled! I couldn't believe it. "You have to stay, just in case this doesn't work. Besides - you and I can't both go. You _know_ why..."

Bob put his head down. I'd never seen a look like that on his face before. Anger, frustration, even fear. "Just be careful..." he whispered.

"I promise." she nodded, and kissed him real quick, on the lips. She turned towards the door and she saw me staring. I was numb, I couldn't say anything. She came up to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Don't worry - I'll be fine."

"I wanna go with you!" I whispered. "Lemme help you - I'm a Guardian now-"

"I know. That's why you can't - we need you out here." she said softly.

"But-"

"There's no time. Just be strong for me, OK?" I nodded dumbly. She kissed me on the cheek and smiled. "See you soon." I wished I'd hugged her, kissed her, told her I loved her, something. Whatever. But it's like I was paralyzed.

"Hex - I'm on my way. Meet me at the target site." I heard her say.

"Very well." It was Hex's voice. Then that was it. She was gone, just like that.

"I am very glad you have come to see me, My Son - even if it is at a rather odd hour." Phong said dryly. "May I offer you a cup of cocoa? Perhaps Ovaltine?"

"No... no thanks, Phong." Matrix said absently, maneuvering his bulk into one of the old sprite's Spartan chairs. "Sorry if I woke you..."

"I sleep very little, Child." Phong sighed. "Although I will confess to be relived not to have to go to the kitchen. The floor is very cold at this time of the morning..."

A barking laugh escaped Matrix' throat, almost involuntarily. "Sorry to be a bother."

"Please - it is far from a bother." the old sprite smiled. "My Child, I have been hoping that you might visit me. Your pain has been apparent to me from the nano that I first saw you, hovering over me at the Principal Office..."

"It - it has?" Matrix said softly. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Phong laughed lightly. "I cannot compel a data stream to flow where I wish it to flow, Child - it will go where it will. I knew that you would come to me when it was your time to come. When you were ready."

"Ready? For what?"

"Why, to talk, My Son. What else? You knew when you would be ready. You always knew. And now you are here, yes?"

"I guess so." Matrix said dubiously. "I'm just not sure _why_ I'm here."

"Why do you _think_ you are here, Young Matrix?"

"I'm not... not sure, Phong. I guess because - because I'm trying to figure things out..."

"You wish to be smarter?" Phong asked mischievously. "Dear Boy, I should hope that you have learned a lesson or two about that..."

"More than I wanted!" Matrix laughed, again in spite of himself.

"You have journeyed long and far, Matrix. You have seen many things. And now you are here - returned to the same ground you walked as a boy. It is very strange, is it not?"

"You could say that!"

"And you share that ground with another. Another who seems to walk the same paths that you walked. And this is even stranger, yes? And it disturbs you."

"I guess it does..." Matrix sighed. "I - I'm just not sure what I think anymore, Phong. About anything. The only thing I know for sure is that I love AndrAIa, and I never want to be apart from her. Everything else is a mess."

"I cannot tell you what you are thinking, Child - nor what you _should_ be thinking. I hope you have not come hoping that I would do so."

"No... I guess not." Matrix said softly. "It just doesn't feel _right_ to me, Phong. Mainframe. Dot. Bob. Enzo. Especially Enzo. It just doesn't feel right."

"How so?" the old sprite frowned.

"I think I'm in the way, Phong! I feel like I'm blocking Enzo's path to - to... I don't know what. Every time he looks at me he kills me inside, Phong. I want to be what he wants me to be, and I know I never can. I know what disappointment feels like - I don't want him to have to go through that! I swear, he looks right though me. Right inside me..."

"Do you suppose he harbors similar thoughts about you, Child?"

"I - I don't know... I guess it's possible. Maybe it's better if we're apart, Phong. Maybe neither one of us can be a whole sprite as long as the other one is around."

"It is possible..." Phong mused.

"I'm sorry - I don't mean to dump all this on you..."

"Please, My Boy!" Phong laughed. "It is most interesting. The ways of sprites are far more enchanting than those of processors and upgrades."

"I guess."

"Young Matrix... Try and see what it is that you desire. Why you have come here. Try and understand what you are seeking. Perhaps then I can help to ease your burdens."

"But that's just it, Phong - I don't _know_!" Matrix growled. "I thought when I came home, I'd feel, you know - whole. But I don't. I just feel empty. I thought it would all be like it was, but it isn't. I'm different. Bob is different. Even Dot. I can't _connect_ to them! I find myself getting angry all the time - angry at Bob. At Bob! My hero! And I'm angry at him. I'm angry at the mistakes he's making, raising Enzo-"

"You feel you could do better, Child?"

"What _right_ does he have, Phong?" the big sprite said intently. "Doesn't he know the effect that he has on Enzo? What right does he have to fill him with expectations, dreams - when he doesn't even know if he'll be able to deliver? Doesn't he know how disappointed I - He! He'll be, when it all crashes around him? He's just a little kid, Phong! He doesn't know any better! How's a lonely little kid with no father supposed to know any better? How?"

"Calmness, My Son." Phong soothed. "You are expressing feelings that are dear to your soul - that is good. But try to channel that anger into understanding-"

"I lose either way, Phong." Matrix sighed, hanging his head. "Either Enzo ends up trying to be just like me, or he ends up hating me and hating himself too. How can I stay here? Doesn't he deserve better?"

Phong sighed and tapped his fingers on his desk thoughtfully. "I think, perhaps, that we are moving into areas that are beyond the reaches of my understanding, My Son. These answers you seek - they are inside you, nowhere else. What we must do is to help you find them..."

__

"Dagnabit it - I can't find the fault!" Mouse snarled. "This command code's so stretched out it could be anywhere from here to the supercomputer for all I know. And I don't have a real diagnostic program here neither. Cursors!"

"It will soon be a moot point, Child." Phong said softly. "She will be in the Principal Office in a few nanos."

I was sitting in a corner with Frisket, and I heard AndrAIa sit down next to me. She put her arm around me. "Don't worry - she'll be fine! You know Dot - she's the best. She'll make it."

"I know." I said. "Thanks."

"This is _not_ good!" Bob fumed. "I should be out there, with her. It isn't right..."

"Peace, Child. She is doing as she has always done - putting the welfare of the system first. As you both have done."

"Don't worry!" AndrAIa whispered. I nodded.

"She should be inside by now..." Ray said nervously. "Damn, but she's a gutsy lass! Should be hearing something from her any nano..."

"Should have given her Copeland - just in case." Bob muttered.

"Wouldnt've done her any good, Sugar." Mouse sighed. "I can't unravel this thing - it doesn't make any sense! I-"

Every nano now is burned in my brain. Burned. I remember Matrix telling me once what it felt like when Zaytan cut his eye out in that game. That's what I felt like in those next nanos - like I imagined that felt.

A vidwindow opened. It was Dot. I bounced up and we all crowded around it, even Frisket. She was sitting in a corner, holding her keypad. I could hear a lot of noise in the background. "Dot! Where are you, Child?" Phong hissed.

"I'm at ground zero. Hex isn't here. I'm barricaded in the ancillary command center."

"Is this a secure line, Sugar? What the heck ya doin'?" It was Mouse's voice.

"She's here, Mouse. Daemon. I'm not using the delay. So it doesn't really matter."

"No!" I gurgled, barely able to get the word out. "No!"

"They spotted me, coming in. I used my command overrides - blocked out the door controls. But they'll be through any nano..."

"Dot, what're you doing?" Bob shouted. "Set the delay and get out of there!"

"I can't, My Love. She'll be in here in a few nanos. I've actually seen her. Daemon. I don't know where Hex is. It's the only way."

"Dot!" I cried. My cheeks were wet, my eyes were burning.

"I'm so sorry, Little Brother. Forgive me. I had to see you again, one more time. I shouldn't have, I know, but I had to."

"Do something!" I screamed at Bob.

"I - I can't! Copeland can't project a portal that far! I don't - I can't..."

"No more time." Dot said softly. "I love you both. Take care of each other." She reached for her organizer.

"Dot! No!" I screamed. There was a flash from the vidwindow, and everyone covered their eyes. Then a kind of low rumble ran though the ground, and the bunker shook for a few nanos. Then nothing - just the sound of the processors in the room idling on.

I blinked my eyes open and looked up at the vidwindow, but it was just a bunch of static. I fell down to my knees, and I was shaking and I couldn't stop. I heard Phong telling Mouse to initialize the core controls, and I heard her say she was. I felt someone's hands on my back, and I shook them off. It was AndrAIa. "Enzo-" 

"No!" I screamed, as loud as I could, and it seemed to go on forever. I sucked in some air and I did it again, and I pounded on the floor until my knuckles couldn't feel it anymore and started bleeding and someone grabbed my arms.

"Hex! Hexadecimal!" I heard someone shouting, and banging on the console. "Dammit, Hex! Where are you?" It was Ray, I guess, or it could've been Bob.

There was no pride left in me anymore - I didn't care what I looked like to everyone. Of everything that I could ever call unimaginable to me, this was the pinnacle. Dot was the only thing that I'd always had in my life, always. I could always count on her, no matter what. I could imagine facing life without anyone else, even Bob. I'd lived without Bob. But not Dot. And she was gone. Forever.

I know I was crying like crazy, kneeling down on the floor. AndrAIa was hovering over me, holding my back, whispering in my ear. "It's all right, Love. I'm here. It's all right. It's all right, Love..."

And then I did something I'll always regret, even though I guess I didn't really know what I was doing. I stumbled over to Bob, and I just started shouting. "It's your fault! You let her go! Why didn't you stop her? Why didn't you save her? Why did you let her die?" I'll never forget the look on his face, as long as I live. Like all the pain you could ever imagine, and I'd just made it a million times worse.

I stumbled away from him, and I heard Frisket howling in the background. AndrAIa put her arms around me again, and this time I didn't fight her. I just put my head on her shoulder and cried forever.

AndrAIa rolled over in her docking bay, reached out her arm but found empty space. She yawned and blinked her eyes open, surveying the converted garage that served as her home. "Sparky?"

The game sprite checked her internal clock and frowned. "Matrix? You here, Lover?" she said softly. There was no response. "Where in the net did he go this early? His startup sequence usually takes about ten seconds!" she muttered.

AndrAIa sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes wearily. The behavior of her soul mate was becoming more and more puzzling to her every cycle. For the first time, she found herself worrying that she'd lost touch with him, somehow - no matter how bad things had ever been, the bond between them had always been unshakable. But Matrix seemed to be closing himself in, more and more. And closing her out.

With a sigh, the young woman tweaked her icon and changed out of her nightgown. She slipped outside, into the dim early morning light, and zipped briskly towards Baudway.

"There you are!"

"Yup." Dot said softly, leaning against the doorframe of Enzo's bedroom.

Bob wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "You OK?"

"Sure. Thanks." she smiled wearily.

"You coming back to bed?"

"No. I couldn't sleep much anyway. I may as well just stay up."

The Guardian joined her in staring down at the still figure in the darkened room. "Worried about Enzo, huh?"

"You could say that." Dot sighed. "It's just not like him, Bob - whenever he has a problem, he tells me about it. He's never shut me out like this before..."

"Maybe he just needs to prove to himself he can solve it on his own." Bob whispered.

"I don't want him to!" Dot chuckled bitterly. "That means he won't come to me the next time, either..."

"He'll be all right." Bob smiled, kissing her forehead. "You both will. Try not to worry about it so much. You weren't like this - you know... the last time..."

"I worried plenty! Besides - this time is different, isn't it Bob? Everything is different, now."

"I can't argue with that, I suppose." he sighed. "Dot... Why did you ask me before - about Matrix? You know, and Enzo-"

"No reason." the Command.Com said softly. "Just me worrying too much, that's all."

"Well, I don't think you need to worry about _that_." he yawned. "I'm gonna access a few more milliseconds of downtime. Coming?"

"In a nano." she whispered, not tearing her eyes away from her brother. "In a nano..."

__

I guess the next few seconds are pretty much erased - quit without saving. It's like I used up all my memory on those horrible microseconds in the bunker, and I really didn't have any left.

We won, of course. Hex's plan worked. At least what we knew about it. Daemon was destroyed, and so was the P.O. But Phong and Mouse are pretty much geniuses, and they'd rigged things so that the core was back online in less than a cycle. 

When Daemon blew up, her infection went with her. From what they told me, it didn't really happen all at once - it's like everyone who was infected just sort of slowly, gradually, got themselves back. And the ones in Mainframe, who'd been infected only a few cycles, changed real fast. The ones in Daemon's attack force - the infected Guardians - they took a lot longer. They fought for a while. But eventually they got back to being themselves again.

There were a lot of cycles where I didn't even wanna live. Andri and Frisket were around me a lot, but for a while I remember I wouldn't even say anything. I just stayed in the diner and I wouldn't leave, and I wouldn't talk. When the games came, Bob would go and win them, but I didn't go with him. My codes were telling me to go, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. It's like I would've been betraying Dot.

But eventually, even though I never thought I would, I started to process again. I guess I just couldn't help it. The horrible pain that I felt in my insides didn't go away, but I sorta got used to it. It's still there, every cycle, and sometimes something will happen and I have to just go away by myself and stew for a while. But most of the time it's just there, like it's a part of me, like my eyes or my arms or legs. Maybe it is.

I sorta moved into Bob's apartment in Kits. We never really talked about it, but we both just kinda started seeing each other in the kitchen every morning. It just seemed like the thing to do. Besides, it got harder and harder for me to be around the diner anyways, as time passed. And Cecil was doing fine running the place on his own.

Eventually, I even started going back into the games with Bob. I was still a Guardian, after all, and with so many of the Collective having survived the Academy was gonna be back online before any of us knew it. It didn't feel like I was betraying Dot so much as it felt like I owed it to her, now. I still didn't talk to Bob all that much, and a lot of the time I still hated him. And I hated myself for hating him. The last thing Dot had told us was to take care of each other...

It didn't take long for Mainframe to get back online. They even started recompiling the Principal Office. I never saw Phong so intense about anything as he was about that. I knew losing the P.O. was harder for him than any of us, but I think he also kinda thought he owed it to Dot. Like I felt about being a Guardian.

I knew Andri and Mouse and Ray would be leaving soon. I hated it, but I understood. If Matrix was still processing, they were gonna find him. Matrix had been infected, so if he hadn't been nullified he'd be somewhere, maybe looking for us. He needed AndrAIa more than I needed her. It seemed like he always did.

I was out in front of the diner the cycle they left, watching them recompiling the big ball on top of the P.O.. It was fascinating, in a totally tedious way, and it kept my mind busy so that it couldn't really think about stuff I didn't want it to think about.

I didn't hear her coming, but then I never did. Not unless she wanted me to. She tapped me on the shoulder and I jumped a little, and almost tripped. I was getting taller and kinda clumsy right then. "Hey!" she giggled, with that smile of hers that unformatted me every time I saw it.

"Hey." I smiled. We wrapped our arms around each others shoulders and leaned on each other. "Looks like she's gonna be just as pretty as the old one, huh?"

"Every time that place gets wasted, in comes back better!" she grinned. "Kinda like Mainframe in general."

We sorta made small talk for a while, and I was just happy to be around her, I didn't care about anything else. I knew in my heart that I'd never love anyone the way I loved AndrAIa. She was the only sprite I'd ever love. End file, quit and save. Game over. And I'd never have her. Maybe she'd come back and maybe she wouldn't, and maybe they'd find Matrix and maybe they wouldn't, but I was always gonna be a little sprite to her. I knew she loved me as much as I loved her, but the part of her that loved me was the part of her that loved Matrix when she was a little girl. It was a different person.

As much as I hated it, I'd accepted it. I knew it'd never change. Just like Dot being gone. But I still worried about Matrix a lot. I didn't know what had happened to him - none of us did. I thought of him being alone in the net again, and sometimes I thought of him being nullified, and it totally uncompiled me. I didn't cry about it, though. Nothing made me cry anymore - not even when AndrAIa left.

Andri told me it was time, Mouse and Ray were waiting. We kissed goodbye, and we hugged, and I watched her zip off and I walked all over Mainframe for a long time. It was totally dark when I got home, and Bob was sitting on the couch when I got back, not watching a vidscreen or anything. Just sitting. I guess he'd been waiting for me.

He smiled at me and I sorta tried to smile back. "Where were you?" he asked.

"Just walking." I answered. That was about like most of our conversations, the ones that weren't about games anyway. I sat next to him on the couch, and we just sat there for a long time. And after a while, he put his arm around me, and I leaned my head over against him, and I fell asleep.

Enzo rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned as he sat up in bed. He felt weary, and weird visions seemed to linger in his processor after he woke. Not clear, vivid memory, like the dream he'd had a few cycles earlier. Just vague images of faces and voices and feelings that lingered in his head like an echo. He was tired.

The boy rebooted into his clothes, reached the door of his bedroom and paused, frowning. He arched an eyebrow in the direction of his dresser. He set his jaw and walked across the room, picking up the two silver pins that sat there. He carefully pinned them to his collar, adjusted them in the mirror, and nodded. As an afterthought he picked up the seashell and code key that had rested next to the pins and slipped them into his back pocket.

By the time the boy had walked upstairs he'd managed to shake most of the sleep from his processor. He was surprised to see AndrAIa sitting with Bob and Dot at the bar. "Hey! What's everyone doing here so early?"

"I might ask you the same question!" Dot smiled. "Don't tell me you're going to start going to bed _and_ getting up without me nagging you now? I feel so useless..."

"Sorry." the youngster mumbled, grabbing an energy bar off of the counter and heading for the door.

"Hey!" Dot grabbed him by the collar and pulled him onto her lap. "Where are you off to in such a hurry? It's not a school day."

"Yeah, I know." the boy squirmed. "I was - I guess... D'you guys know where Matrix is?"

Enzo noticed a shared frown between AndrAIa and Dot. Come to process it, they both looked kinda tired. Like _he_ was. "Actually, no." AndrAIa said. "I haven't seen him all morning."

"Why don't you stay with us for a while? Have a real breakfast?" Dot said with forced cheerfulness. "We can catch up..."

"Yeah, Enzo." AndrAIa added. "I'm sure whatever Matrix is doing, he doesn't want to be bothered right now."

"I wasn't gonna bother him..." Enzo frowned. He looked over the uncharacteristically silent Bob, but the Guardian only shrugged. "So you don't know where he is?"

"Not a clue." AndrAIa sighed. "He was gone when I woke up."

"I'm worried about him." the youngster said softly. Bob looked over his head, at Dot, and smiled a little.

"Me too, Guardian." AndrAIa sighed. "How about you, Enzo - are you all right?"

"I guess."

"Wanna talk about it?" the game sprite smiled.

"Talk about what?" Enzo replied guardedly.

"Anything you wanna talk about."

Enzo looked over at Bob again, not sure what he was looking for. The Guardian smiled helplessly. "I don't have anything much on my mind, really..."

"Matrix told me you two had a fight." AndrAIa said gently. "What was it about?"

"Nothin'." Enzo sighed. "It's between me an' him."

"Enzo-"

"I _told_ you - it's between me and him!" Enzo growled. "Okay?" AndrAIa looked over him again, at Dot. "Why don't you look at _me_? _I'm_ the one who's talking!"

"Sorry!" the game sprite said hastily. "I'm sorry, Enzo - I don't mean to pry. It's just-"

"Enzo's fine." Bob interrupted at last. "Aren't you Enzo?"

"Yeah." the boy nodded. "I'm fine. I'm sorry I got mad..."

"Enzo..." Dot prodded gently. "All AndrAIa was doing-"

"C'mon, Enzo." Bob interjected, standing and grabbing the boy by the hand. "I think you're overdue for a martial arts exercise. We haven't practiced in seconds. Whaddaya say?"

"Cool!" the boy grinned, wriggling away from Dot.

"But, Bob-"

"Don't worry, I'll bring him back in one piece!" the Guardian replied, winking at Enzo. "We'll see you all later."

"Thanks, Bob!" Enzo smiled, once they were outside. "You're totally cool!"

"Don't mention it. You just looked like you could use a chance to work off a little steam." Bob sighed.

"Well... thanks. I dunno why I got so mad-"

"Don't sweat it." Bob grinned. "Just don't get the idea that it's OK to run away from your problems, Enzo - but once in a while, you just have to go and whale on somebody, I guess..."

__

It was hard for me to look at the diner, even now. Too much memory. System overload. Abort, Retry, Fail. I turned my head quickly and started walking towards Kits, eyes cast straight down.

Every step felt like an inch, my feet were so heavy. I knew Bob would be waiting, and I didn't want to be late, but it was so hard, making that walk for what would be the last time - at least for a long while.

How many times had I dreamed about this cycle - what it would mean to me? Sure, there were doubts, but it had always felt totally alphanumeric in my mind. It was supposed to be perfect - everything I'd dreamed about since I was a little sprite. I knew leaving Mainframe would be hard, but I'd be back. And it was what I'd always wanted.

That was what I'd always thought, anyways. But now that it had all happened, it was totally basic. Low density. The Mainframe I was leaving wasn't the one I'd imagined leaving. I wasn't sure if I'd ever come back. If I ever _wanted_ to come back. Except for one reason. Except for Bob.

I looked around me, at Baudway, back towards the Principal Office - the city was kinda quiet today. I knew that wherever I went, anywhere in the net, no place would ever be as beautiful to me as this. I could go to the Supercomputer itself, but Mainframe would always be home.

But that wasn't really true, was it? Mainframe would always be home, in my mind - but not this Mainframe. The Mainframe I'd remember would be the other Mainframe - before everything had happened. I'd file and sort it, back it up in my memory. But it wouldn't be real. I couldn't ever go back to a place that didn't exist any more. Maybe we Matrixes were destined to wander around the net forever - maybe it was part of our code...

I was almost startled when I looked up and found myself outside our apartment in Kits. I'd made the walk so many times, I guess I could do it in my sleep - and I just about had. Bob was waiting for me. It was time.

"Hey, Partner!" he grinned as I slowly walked through the door. "Where've you been? It's almost 1200, you know!"

"Sorry Bob!" I said sheepishly, forcing a smile to my face. "I was over at the diner. I guess I... I guess I had to have a - you know..."

"I understand." Bob smiled sympathetically. "Enzo, I know this is kind of rough for you - but you know it's for the best. It's what you've always wanted, and you deserve it-"

"Thanks." I nodded, even if I wasn't sure I agreed with him about the second part. "You've done a great job training me, Bob. There's no way I could ever go to the Academy if you hadn't helped me every nano along the way. There wouldn't even _be_ an Academy if it weren't for you, and Matrix, and AndrAIa. And..." Thinking about them brought even more pain. "Bob, I-"

"It was easy!" Bob grinned, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I guess there had been kind of a distance between us for a while, but it was forgotten now. It seemed unimportant. "By the User, Enzo - I can hardly believe it! You're nearly as tall as me, now. It seems like only a few nanos since the reboot, and now you're almost fully compiled. Where do the cycles go?"

It was strange hearing Bob talk this way - but then, everything seemed strange to me now. I blushed a little. "I'm still a little sprite and you know it. Those cadets at the academy are gonna tear me to data bits..."

"Spam!" Bob chuckled. "You're a Matrix - and we all know how tough Matrixes are."

"Yeah..." I whispered, all the memories flooding back to me. I could hardly believe that we'd ever fought, ever been mad at each other. It made me feel totally low-density. Bob and I were all we had, now. That thought made today seem even worse to me. I was shocked to feel a tear on my cheek.

See, I hadn't cried in a while. Since - since the last time. I promised myself that I never would again - I wouldn't let anything hurt me that much again. Maybe that's why Bob and I hadn't talked much, for a while, even though we lived in the same apartment. It seemed easier. But now, it all came crashing down.

"Come on, now." Bob said softly. "She'd be proud of you, you know. She _is_ proud of you. She-"

"It's not that!" I sobbed, ashamed of my crying but unable to stop. 

"What is it?" Bob frowned.

I shook my head angrily, trying to rattle the tears out. "I just keep thinking about you, and Mainframe... And about how - how lonely you - it'll be! Bob, I-"

"Crash that!" he smiled, tousling my hair like he used to when I was a little sprite. "I'm a Guardian, Enzo - and so are you. Defending Mainframe is a full time job. Besides, we'll be seeing plenty of each other. Don't you worry about me. Just go to the Academy and make me proud."

"Bob-"

"You've always made me proud - why should it be any different now?"

I stared at him for a nano, startled to realize that we _were_ almost eye to eye. How was that possible? "Thanks!" I whispered, sniffling. I tried to keep control of myself, but I couldn't. I guess I was still a little sprite, when everything was filed and sorted. I buried my face in his shoulder. "Bob... I - I..."

"I know." he said softly, patting my back. "I know, Enzo. Me too. Come on, now - you don't want to be late on your first cycle, do you? Did you get everything uploaded all right?"

"Yes." I whispered, lifting my head and forcing a weak smile. "All set."

"Need anything from your room?"

"No - I finished uploading my stuff last night." I sighed. I didn't want to see my room now - I didn't need any more memory downloads pushing me over the edge. More than anything, I wished a game cube would drop - just so I wouldn't have to go through with it. Anything to delay things. But the games never seemed to come when I wanted them to, and now was no exception. "Say good-bye to Phong for me, OK?"

"I will."

"Thanks..." I sighed, looking around the apartment one last time.

"I guess that's it, then." Bob grinned, clapping me on the shoulder. "Just be yourself, Enzo, and everything will be fine. Remember everything I taught you. And make me proud."

"I will. I promise." I croaked, unable to muster my voice above a whisper. "Thanks - thanks for everything, Bob. I - thanks..."

"You're welcome." he said softly. He looked down at his wrist. "Copeland - portal!"

A shimmering sphere opened in the air in front of us, hovering in place. I took one last look at Bob, who smiled and nodded. "Stay frosty!" he mouthed. I nodded back, closed my eyes and stepped towards the portal.

I walked up to edge of it and stopped. It was like my legs had taken on a life of their own. I couldn't move. I was frozen.

"This isn't right!" _I shouted. The room took on a strange, fuzzy appearance. My head was swimming, I was dizzy. "This isn't right..."_

I looked back for Bob, but I couldn't see him. The room was blackness. When I turned, I lost my balance, and I felt myself falling through the portal. "This isn't right!" I screamed. 

"WHAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING IS A TEMPORARY DISTORTION OF REALITY..."

"It's not right!" Matrix mumbled, flailing out an arm. A chair went flying across the room. "Not right..."

"Peace, Child!" Phong shouted, grabbing onto the big sprite's arm and holding on for dear code. "Peace! Be calm!"

"What? Phong?" Matrix said groggily. "What in the net-"

"Oh, dear!" the old sprite sighed. "It is not supposed to work that way..."

"What the - where am I?"

"You are in the Principal Office, My Son. All is well..."

"The Prin- what in the net did you _do_ to me, Phong?"

"What is the last thing you remember, Child?"

"The last thing... What _don't_ I remember?"

"Dear, oh dear." Phong tittered. "I believe that your system reacted rather violently to the R.D.E...."

"R.D.E. - what's that?" Matrix gasped, rubbing his eyes dazedly and falling back into a chair.

"It is a reality distortion engine, Young One." Phong sighed, holding up a small round object. "It is used to provide glimpses of the past - and the future. And other things... I had hoped that it might provide you some insight into the conflicts that were troubling you-"

"Future? Hey! Where's Dot? Where is she?!"

"I am not certain, Child." Phong frowned. "At this time of the morning, I would rather suspect she is at the diner-"

"She's here? In Mainframe? Thank the User!" Matrix gasped. "Thank the User..."

"Was she in your vision, Child?"

"Vision? Just what _was_ that, Phong? It was no vision. I was _there_! It was happening, I swear it!"

"What did you see, My Son?"

"You tell me, Phong! Did all that... Did it happen? _Does_ it happen, I mean? I don't know what I mean!"

"That is rather a complicated question, My Son." Phong sighed. "You see, the machine works by sending distortion waves, backwards and forwards, through time. The farther these waves go, the more they veer from their original course. There are many futures, and many pasts..."

"Many futures... So does it all happen, or not?"

"In one sense, yes. Did you see the future, Child?"

"The future, yeah." Matrix whispered. "But - but it wasn't _me_ Phong! It was _him+! I wasn't me! I had _his_ eyes..."

"Whose eyes, Child?"

"_Him_, Phong! You know - Little Enzo..."

"Fascinating!" Phong gasped. "The R.D.E. must have tapped into your source code - it is identical to the boy's. Fascinating..."

"Tapped - into my source code?"

"Yes, Child. The R.D.E. is a mirror of what exists in your code - a reflection, albeit a distorted one. The futures it exposes are not random - they are already contained in your programming. They seize on the potential and extrapolate outwards."

"You man I _wanted_ all that to happen? That's spam, Phong! It wasn't even me!"

"Not _wanted_, necessarily, Young Matrix. Only contained within you. Desire is a very complicated emotion. I think it is most fascinating that you saw through the child's eyes, Matrix. Most fascinating indeed."

"I still don't really understand, Phong!" Matrix growled. "Is that going to happen, or not? I saw terrible things..."

"Your future is not a random chain of events, My Son. You determine it by the course of your actions. Nothing is set in storage - you will choose your own destiny. What you saw is only a connection of related events, cascading upon each other in a chain. Change one event, and the chain is broken."

"I need to think. I need to think about all this. Try to make sense of all of it!" Matrix growled in frustration.

"Think well, Child." Phong said softly. "You have been given a rare opportunity - none of what you saw was by chance. It is all a reflection of what you hold inside you. The key to understanding is there, if you but look for it. In a sense, you have been granted a look at your future _and_ your past - a rare privilege indeed."

"It's all very strange, Phong. I saw things - terrible things..."

"I understand, Young Matrix." Phong said sympathetically. "The process is never easy - your own sister underwent it herself, once - though her visions were neither so vivid nor so extensive. She learned well from it - and so may you. You have the power."

"I'll try Phong. I'll try. Thanks - I guess..."

"You are welcome, Child. You are welcome. Now I would recommend that you access some downtime - you look very, very tired..."

"So he's just been sleeping? All this time?" Dot frowned.

"Yeah." AndrAIa sighed, sipping her energy shake. "It's totally weird - the whole cycle, and last night too! He barely inputted a word, and just zoned out. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"I know the feeling." Dot sighed, staring over at Enzo, who was sitting in a booth by himself, chin in hands.

"He'll be all right." AndrAIa said softly. "Just growing pains, that's all."

"Which one?"

"Both of them." the game sprite smiled wearily.

"I can't get to him, AndrAIa. I was always able to before, but now he's out of reach." Dot whispered. "He's growing up. Maybe I'll never get him back..."

"I don't think he needs you to reach him right now." the girl whispered. "Not this time. He needs something else. Matrix too. I don't know what Matrix needs, but I can't seem to provide it. I thought I knew every thought in his head, but something's different..."

"Hey." Matrix rasped, walking into the diner, bleary-eyed. Neither sprite said anything as he sat next to them at the bar. AndrAIa glanced over at Enzo. The boy stared over at them silently. He met Matrix's glance forlornly for a nano, saying nothing. Finally, he slipped out of the booth and out into Baudway.

"Enzo!" Dot called.

"Let him go." Matrix said softly. "I don't know what to say to him, anyways..." Dot stared up at the bearded sprite, frowning, trying to calm the anger that simmered in her processor.

"What's the matter, Sparky?" AndrAIa asked, grabbing the bearded sprite's hand. "You look like you swallowed a virus. You've been sleeping for minutes-"

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've been such a null..."

"No need to be sorry." the game sprite smiled.

Matrix met Dot's glance, silently. He reached out a hand and gently touched the startled sprite's cheek. "Enzo! What-"

"You're an amazing sprite, you know that?"

"What? Enzo, what's-"

"I just wanted to tell you. I never stopped and really told you. You were my whole world, Dot. My mother and father. My best friend. My protector. I know I wasn't easy, either... And I never really told you how much I appreciated everything you did."

"You don't have to say that!" the Command.Com whispered, bewildered. "I loved every nano of it!"

"You never made me feel unwanted, Dot - no matter how much I pestered you and annoyed you and wore you out. You always made me feel like everything was gonna be OK. Every time I was lonely, you were there, and you never seemed to get tired of it. I don't know how you did it, but thanks."

"Don't thank me! You're my brother, I love you..."

"Me too." he whispered, embracing her. "I'm sorry you had to be alone all that time, Dot. I'm sorry you thought I was deleted. I'm sorry."

"You don't have anything to feel sorry about!" she sighed, wiping away a tear. "None of us do. We all did the best we could. That's all we can ever do. You know that..."

"I'm not proud of everything I've done. Not out there. Not here, either. You don't know, Dot-"

"It doesn't matter." she smiled. It was odd - this Matrix was like a stranger to her. Someone she'd never met. No - someone she hadn't seen, for a long time...

"You always forgive me, don't you?" The big sprite finally released her from his embrace.

"You're my brother. I love you."

AndrAIa grabbed his hand in hers. "Matrix - what's the matter? You've acting very strange!"

"I know." he sighed. "I've been... thinking. About things. About us, about Mainframe. About the future..."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just - I don't think I've been seeing things too clearly. I've been blind to a lot of things that should have been obvious."

"What kind of things?" AndrAIa frowned.

"Everything." he said softly. "And I think I've been running away from my responsibilities. I'm so deleted lucky, and I was too basic to see it! I've gotten so many chances. One in particular I was too basic to see, but that's gonna change now..."

"Hey everybody." Bob called, entering the diner. "Was that Enzo I saw on the way in? He didn't answer when I called him."

"That was him." Dot replied. "He doesn't seem to be talking to anyone lately..."

"I'm glad you're here, Bob. I wanna talk to you." Matrix sighed, leading the Guardian over to a booth. The Guardian shrugged in Dot's general direction, and allowed himself to be led by the elbow.

"What's up?" he frowned.

"I think I owe you an apology, Bob." Matrix said softly. "For a lot of things..."

"Don't be silly, Enzo. You don't-"

"It's OK, Bob. I know I've been a total null to you lately. I've been thinking about a lot of the things I said - a lot of the things I've done. The things I'm going to do."

"What're you talking about?" Bob smiled gently. "You sound a little scrambled!"

"Maybe I am!" Matrix chuckled. "It's just - a lot of things, that are... you know. _My_ problems. I've been blaming you for them. I'm good at that. It all changes now..."

"What brought this on, Matrix?"

"Let's just say I've seen things in a different light, Bob. I remembered... I remembered how I saw you. When I was little. I think I saw you more clearly then than I do now. I thought it was just the opposite..."

"What do you mean?" Bob asked gently. "Matrix?"

"Never mind. I've got a million things in my processor, and I'm trying to get everything out at once. I need to file and sort for a while, I know I'm not making any sense."

"Enzo-"

"Let's just say I - Enzo is lucky to have you. As a friend. As - as a lot of other things. I just remembered how lucky he was."

"Thanks, Matrix." Bob grinned. "That means a lot to me."

"He isn't the only one, either." Matrix said softly. "I guess I must look pretty basic - Dot and Andri must think I'm low-density! I need to file and sort things before I open my input. I just wanted to tell you, Bob. Better to say it than not say it and wish I had - you know?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Bob smiled, shaking the big sprite's hand. "C'mon, let's go get us an energy shake before they think we're both nuts!"

"Right." Matrix sighed wearily. There were other things to say, but there was plenty of time...

Enzo hovered over Baudway, staring down absently at the steady stream of traffic as it slowly weaved it's way through the busy thoroughfares. He still couldn't make sense of the mess of emotions in his processor. He couldn't shake the feeling that something important had happened, somehow. His senses screamed it out. But what was it? It was like he'd seen something, but from a great distance. It was unclear, unfocsued. And every time he thought he'd selected the right file, it was gone again, teasing him.

The youngster looked down at the diner longingly. More than anything he wished he were inside, with Dot and Bob. He'd seen the Guardian enter, not long after Matrix had shown up. He wasn't sure what he wanted to tell them, but he wanted just to _be_ there. To sit in a booth and listen to them talk and laugh and slowly fall asleep and have their laughter be the last thing he heard before he did.

The boy knew he wasn't ready to be in there with Matrix, though. Not yet. He wasn't sure why, but he knew he wasn't ready. So here he was, outside and alone, while Matrix was in there with Dot and Bob. And AndrAIa. Always AndrAIa. The thought filled Enzo with a boiling rage, but as always it was tempered by something else. What was it?

It was that strange feeling, every time he saw Matrix. Sometimes he barely felt it, sometimes it was overwhelming. But it was always there. It was a hollowness, a longing for something the boy couldn't quite grasp. And always the paradox, the love and hate, the anger and pity, and joy and sadness. Matrix was all of those things, every time he saw him. And he was alone.

Enzo had turned and started zipping slowly towards Floating Point park when he heard a familiar patter of footsteps behind him. They were soon joined by a chorus of barking. "Frisket!" he cried, jumping off of his board to the sidewalk. "Frisket! C'mere Boy!"

Enzo laughed as the dog pounced on him, licked his face frantically. "Hey, Boy! Where ya been all cycle? Been busy? Wanna go to the park, Boy?" Frisket nodded eagerly, and the boy giggled and gently pushed the dog off of his chest. "C'mon, Boy! Race ya!" he cried gleefully. The boy hopped on his board and zipped off towards the park, Frisket in furious pursuit.

"Sleepin' on the job, Guardian? That's not like you!"

Bob jerked awake, and stared up at the vidscreen hovering in his living room. "Oh, Hi Mouse. Just accessing a little downtime while I can. Never know when the next game cube is gonna drop. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

"Just thought I'd say goodbye before I left, Honey." the hacker grinned.

"Left? What in the net are you talking about?"

"Now don't start with me, Sugar. We known each other a long time. You know the Mouse wears out her welcome if she stays in one place too long."

"Mouse, this is crazy!" Bob scowled. "After all we've been through - you're just gonna leave? Just like that?"

"All good things must pass, Bob. It's time ta move on. I ain't a stay at home gal, and I never was."

"Mouse, if this has anything to do with that little tiff we had - about Hex-"

"Aw, Sugar - I ain't leavin' with no hard feelings, if that's what yer worried about." Mouse sighed. "I ain't got nothin' to do here, Bob - Mainframe's in good hands. Mine are extras. I was never more'n a guest here anyways."

"But-"

"No buts, Honey. You guys are pretty much cut off from the net here anyways - I made sure o' that. I'll stop by from time to time - let y'all know what's goin' on out there. That is, when I'm not makin' Daemon's life hell!"

"You sure about this, Mouse?" Bob sighed.

"Never more, Honey. I can be more good to y'all out there anyway."

"What about the others? Dot?"

Mouse looked away. "Look, Bob - I ain't one for long goodbyes. Dot knows how I feel. They all do. And I'll be back before you can shake an analog anyways. You tell 'em the Mouse said so long for me."

"If it's what you want." Bob frowned. "But I still think you're crazy!"

"Y'always did, Sugar - why should now be any different?" the hacker chuckled. "Hey Lover - ya wanna say anything to the Guardian before we make tracks?"

Ray's face appeared next to Mouse in the vidwindow. "Yeah - good luck, Mate. Sorry I never got the chance to go into one of your games. You got a nice place here - I'm gonna miss it. And all o' you, too."

"Thanks, Ray. You take care of yourself. And Mouse too."

"Other way 'round, more like. And one more thing - tell the nipper to make sure he keeps his knees bent a little - give 'im much better balance on the board. And tell 'im I'll be back to take him web surfin' when he's good enough. Right?"

"Right!" Bob chuckled. "So long, Ray. I owe you one. We all do."

"Free o' charge, Mate. Good on ya." the surfr said softly.

"Well, Guardian - that's about as mushy as I care to get!" Mouse smiled. "I'll keep an eye on things out there for ya - you make you do the same here. Make sure you're ready, when the time comes."

"To mend and defend." Bob said softly.

"You always were a company man, weren't ya, Bob?" The hacker winked, and the vidwindow closed.

"So long, Mouse." Bob sighed.

Phong wheeled around the command center, meticulously checking and re-checking every setting and every reading before retiring to his chambers. It was a ritual near and dear to him - one he'd engaged in every cycle for almost as long as he could remember (and that was a very long time), broken only by the dark period before Bob's return from the web.

Ritual was important, Phong knew. Especially for a sprite as old as he was. The news of the cycle had been most disquieting - the departure of Ray and Mouse was a disappointment, though he'd more or less been expecting it. They would be missed, and for more than their technical skill.

Then there was the matter of young Matrix, as well. That was troublesome. The child had reacted more violently to the R.D.E. than Phong had expected, though the old sprite certainly held out hopes that the boy would derive some benefit from the experience. His pain ran deep, and it touched all those around him. Anything that could ease that pain was worth the effort.

Rituals were even more important on difficult days - that was obvious to the old sprite. There was comfort in familiarity. Sprites needed to know that they could depend on certain things, cycle after cycle.

With a final check of the system settings, Phong sighed contentedly and turned, prepared to go fetch his nightly cup of cocoa. To his great surprise, a tall, burgundy clad figure towered over him, grinning.

"What - no welcoming bouquet for me, Old Sprite?" Hex giggled. "No marching band? No key to the city? I'm _so_ disappointed!"

"Hexadecimal." Phong sighed.

"Your enthusiasm underwhelms me, Phong. I'd almost think you didn't _want_ my help. Well, you asked for it and here I am. Let's get started, shall we? I'm going to need just _scads_ of things - I hope your archives are open late!"

"You timing, as ever, is exquisite." Phong said dryly. "So much for my cocoa..."

EPILOGUE

There was always a crowd of binomes in Floating Point Park on a glorious Mainframe afternoon. When the breeze gently wafted through the directory trees and the blue sky and wispy clouds were reflected in the data stream, there was no more beautiful place in the net.

On this day, however, the park was unusually quiet. Only a few binomes were scattered about, some content to recline on the green grass or among the daisy wheels while others, mostly children, romped madly through the directory trees or in the playground. The park, for the most part, was quiet and peaceful.

That suited the lone figure underneath the large directory tree near the data stream just fine. On other days, Enzo might have been out amongst the other kids, venting his manic and boundless energy, but on this day he was content to recline against the tree, knees drawn up to his chest, and toss pebbles into the slowly flowing data.

"Hey. Thought I might find you here." Matrix said softly, staring down at him with his arms crossed. Enzo looked up, not surprised. He'd managed to avoid the big sprite for a few cycles. He wasn't mad at him - just didn't want to be around him, somehow. He just wasn't ready.

"Mind if I sit?" Matrix said softly.

"Cool." the youngster answered, tossing another pebble into the water.

"Thanks." Matrix slid down to the ground and leaned back against the tree. Enzo edged away, almost imperceptibly.

"Scared of me?"

"Little bit." Enzo whispered.

"Yeah, well - I don't blame you." the bearded sprite sighed. "I worked you over pretty good the other day..."

"It's OK."

"That why you left the other night? At the diner?"

"Naw." Enzo replied. "I guess - I guess I just didn't really know what to say. I thought I would, but I didn't. I've been feeling weird."

"Yeah - me too." Matrix picked up a pebble and sent it splashing into the data stream. "Pretty scraggy about Mouse and Ray leaving - huh?"

"Yeah. What a gyp. I didn't even get a chance to learn to surf."

"Yeah! Well - I watched him a few times. Maybe we can sorta teach each other. If your board'll hold my weight, that is." Enzo stared ahead, head on his knees, saying nothing. 

"Hey." Matrix said softly. "C'mere."

"What?"

The big sprite held out his arm. "C'mere Enzo. Don't sit way over there."

Enzo stared at him for a long moment, intently. Matrix looked placidly down at him, saying nothing, holding his arm out. After several nanos, the youngster slid over next to Matrix, and the big sprite wrapped the arm around his shoulder. Both sprites stared out over the stream silently.

Matrix held the boy to him, gently, gingerly. "I'm sorry, Enzo. I'm sorry for scaring you like that. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"I know." Enzo smiled. "It's cool, Matrix. Honest."

"Really?"

"Really!"

"You're nobody's backup, Enzo." the big sprite said softly. "You're Enzo Matrix. You're my brother. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Enzo smiled. "I'm proud of you, too. You're awesome..."

"I've done things, Enzo. I've done things I'm not proud of. You need to know..."

"I don't care." the boy said firmly.

"What? Why?"

"I don't care, Matrix. I know you're a good person, that's all. Whatever you did, you did because you had to. I know you're a good person. None of the rest of it makes any difference."

"Enzo, it's not that simple!" Matrix sighed.

"You always say that. It _is_ simple! _You're_ the one who makes it complicated!" Enzo laughed disdainfully.

"Oh Enzo, you don't understand..."

"I _do_, Matrix! I understand - better than anyone. And I always will."

"Maybe you do..." the big sprite sighed. "Maybe I do make things too complicated."

"Look - AndrAIa loves you, right? And AndrAIa wouldn't love you if you weren't a good person. That's like totally obvious!"

Matrix shook his head. "I dunno, Kid. I can't figure you out. You're something else!"

"Thanks - I guess."

"What'd you do with that tree I gave you - you ever plant it?" Matrix grinned.

"Naw." Enzo said softly. "Not yet. I haven't decided where I want to yet."

"There's no rush..."

Enzo smiled crookedly. "That was like, a totally weird present, Dude! I figured you'd get me a game or something."

"Like I said, Kid - I don't have a clue about that stuff. It just seemed like the thing to do." Matrix sighed, softly patting the boy on the shoulder. "Enzo - why did you ask me what you asked me, the other cycle? Why did you do that when you knew I didn't wanna talk about it and you knew how - how I am..."

"Because I wanna know about it, Matrix. I wanna understand! Why you are like you are. I don't want you to be sad all the time."

"Enzo..."

"I had a dream, you know." the boy sighed.

"A - dream? What kind?" Matrix frowned.

"A bad one." Enzo whispered. "Only it was weird - I was me - but I was also you, kinda. And stuff happened to me - and it was like what happened to you. And Megabyte was in it..."

Matrix pulled the youngster a little closer. "He's gone, Enzo. He can't hurt us any more..."

"He was there." Enzo continued softly. "He told me that you and me were the same - that we weren't any different. And then he grabbed me, and he p-picked me up... and he stuck out his claw. And... and he c-cut m-my eye out..."

"Enzo!" Matrix gasped. "It's OK, it was just a dream! It's all right..."

The youngster silently squeezed a tear out of each eye. "He was right, Matrix - we _are_ the same person. Only he thought it was bad - but it's not! It's good! We've got each other, no matter what! How cool is that? I can always help you, and you can always help me, and we'll always know exactly how to do it! Only you won't let me, and it's totally basic..."

"I know. You're right." Matrix sighed. "I didn't want anyone's help, Enzo - not even yours. Not for a long time."

"Why?" Enzo whispered. "Why do you hate me?"

"I don't hate you! I... Just the opposite, Enzo. Maybe that's the problem... Andri was pretty much the only person I had for a long time, Kid. I wasn't really ready to care about anybody like I... - like I care about you. It scared me. But I see a lot of stuff differently now. I see a lot of stuff differently..."

"What happened to you?" the boy rasped, wiping his eyes. "You looked weird at the diner."

"I bet I did!" the bearded sprite laughed. "I had a dream too, Enzo. You could call it that. And y'know what's weird? I was you in the dream."

"You were me?" Enzo gasped.

"Yep. Only it was a weird dream, and I was you, and I could actually see me. I was you, looking at me. It was basic..."

"I bet!"

"And it took a real long time, too. It felt like minutes. And I saw a lot of stuff. The way you might see it. The way I saw it, a long, long time ago - only I'd forgotten what it felt like, being you. Seeing what you see."

"What kinds of stuff?" Enzo whispered.

"All kinds. Good stuff. Bad stuff too. Real bad. Everybody was there - even Daemon. But the point is that a lot of things look different to me, now. I feel like I can maybe understand stuff a little better. And avoid some mistakes I might have made. Maybe even help you avoid them, too."

"Really? Like what?"

"Like a lot." Matrix smiled wearily. "See, I - I had a lot of dreams when I was your age, Enzo. And a lot of them are never gonna happen now. And I was real mad about that, I just didn't wanna admit I was."

"What kind of dreams?"

"I think you'd recognize them." the big sprite replied. "They're good dreams. And you can still have them, Little Brother - 'cause they might still happen for you. And I was mad at you because of that."

"I'm sorry." Enzo whispered. "Y'mean the Academy an' all that?"

"You don't have to be sorry!" Matrix sighed, tousling the boy's hair gently. "That's a part of it, yeah. There's more. It's OK though - I just have to have different dreams now. I've gotten a lot of breaks, and I was just too stupid to know it. I was so damn lucky, and all I could do was try to shoot your dreams down!"

"It's OK-"

"No! No, it's not." the bearded sprite frowned. "But I can't change it. All I can do is do the best I can from now on. And I'm not gonna push my past on you anymore. What happened to me happened to me - not to you. You can do whatever you want to. And I know you're gonna do great - I know how tough you are. And I know what a great teacher Bob is, too. And I'm gonna help you every step, every cycle. Any way I can."

"I'll help you too." Enzo whispered. "You know what's weird, Matrix?"

"What?"

"I knew you were having the dream. I felt it." the youngster said softly.

"You - knew?" the big sprite frowned. "What do you mean, Enzo?"

"I dunno. I can't explain it. I didn't really see anything, but... It's basic! It's like I felt it, in my head. I had all this weird stuff flying around in there, and I couldn't figure it out."

"I guess that's possible..." Matrix mused. "Was it scary, Enzo?"

"A little, I guess. Mostly I just couldn't sleep, or think straight. I couldn't get my head clear, y'know?" The boy stared straight ahead for a nano, then silently gripped Matrix' hand in his own. "Enzo, you - you'd never leave, would you? Promise you wouldn't."

"Why are you asking me?" the bearded sprite frowned, gently squeezing the small hand in his own.

"I'm not sure. I just - felt it..." the boy hesitated. "You wouldn't, would you?"

"Mainframe is home." Matrix sighed. "I can't keep looking around for something I'm never gonna find. Whatever it is - my future - it's here."

"Alphanumeric!"

"But things are gonna happen, Enzo. We're OK now, but we're gonna have to fight Daemon, sooner or later. Maybe even you'll have to fight her too. I don't know what it'll be like - but I'm gonna have to do what I have to do. We all will."

"I know." Enzo nodded. "But you won't leave, right?"

"I'll try, Enzo." Matrix smiled. "This is where I wanna be - you know that. And besides - I don't think it's right, we should be apart. We're the same code, you and me. We're special. We should stick together, help each other out. Even when things go bad. Right?"

"Right!" Enzo grinned.

"Right." Matrix hugged the boy closer and gently cradled his head against his chest.. "We're the same code, you and me. We're special."

"Uh huh." Enzo whispered, eyes closed. He wrapped his arms around the big sprite, barely able to reach his back. The boy could sense the massive power in Matrix' arms as they held him, but there was no trace of the fear that he'd felt earlier. He felt as safe as he felt in Dot's arms. He felt whole. "Why'd it take you so long to figure this out?"

"I did my best, Enzo." Matrix sighed, marveling at how fragile the boy felt, like a stiff breeze would blow him away. It filled him with a desire to keep Enzo shielded forever, protected. "That's all I could do."

"That's OK." Enzo grinned, clinging to Matrix as hard as he could. "I'll help you do better the next time." The big sprite laughed, his barrel chest shaking with mirth. Enzo joined in, swept away by the joy in Matrix' voice. Their laughter folded into exquisite harmony and synchronization, each feeding on the other's exuberance. Enzo felt it form a shield around them, just the two of them, that nothing could break through. It was a moment they shared, perfect and complete. Theirs and no one else's. They were the same code.


End file.
